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The construction of a sugar factory in Southeast Sulawesi faces land constraint

13

Jan

The construction of a sugar factory in Southeast Sulawesi faces land constraint

"Investors will build a sugar factory if the core land that is a minimum standard requirement of around 10 thousand to 20 thousand hectares is [...]

The construction of a sugar factory in Southeast Sulawesi faces land constraint. `Investors will build a sugar factory if the core land that is a minimum standard requirement of around 10 thousand to 20 thousand hectares is available,` Bambang said in Kendari on Wednesday.He admitted that the Ministry of Agriculture will prioritize Sultra with all relevant ranks to be made the basis for national new sugar development outside of Java. `The Ministry of Agriculture is ready to disburse funds of hundreds of billions but it is hampered by the sugar factory that has not been built because the standard core land requirement has not been met,` he said. According to him, to overcome the core land shortage, support from all parties is needed, especially from district governments that are designated as sugarcane development centers to prepare land. `Sugarcane development centers that are expected to provide assistance are South Konawe, Bombana, Kolaka, Muna, West Muna, and North Buton,` he said.  He said that if core land support is ready, the investor will prepare the factory, and when the factory is available, the government will provide support for seed garden activities, grinding core seed gardens, with funds of up to hundreds of billion rupiah.
Editor: Unggul Tri Ratomohttp://www.antaranews.com/berita/539626/pembangunan-pabrik-gula-di-sultra-terkendala-lahan

Anticipating El Nino, Government Considering Rice Imports from Pakistan and India

12

Jan

Anticipating El Nino, Government Considering Rice Imports from Pakistan and India

Trade Minister Thomas Lembong said it has not yet been ascertained how much is the appropriate price for importing rice from Pakistan and India, [...]

Anticipating El Nino, Government Considering Rice Imports from Pakistan and India. Trade Minister Thomas Lembong said it has not yet been ascertained how much is the appropriate price for importing rice from Pakistan and India, therefore it has not been ascertained when the government will import rice from the two countries.
`Bulog is still studying the classes of rice available from premium, medium, and lower. This is still under review, it takes time,` Thomas Lembong told reporters, at the office of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), Monday (11/1/2016).
Previously, in 2015 Indonesia has imported rice from Thailand and Vietnam, more than one million tons. Thomas said Indonesia still needs to expand the number of importing countries, to ensure the adequacy of rice supply.

`The concept is we want to expand the sources of food imports. We tend to import from one or two countries. We will study whether there are a third, fourth and fifth country,` he said.
On that occasion he also mentioned that the heat wave El Nino this year is predicted to hit in February. It is feared that this will once again disrupt the harvest of rice. Therefore the government must be prepared.
`Now we are preparing if there is a hit of El Nino in February, so it is still in the review stage,` he said.
Author: Nurmulia Rekso PurnomoEditor: Sanusi
http://www.tribunnews.com/bisnis/2016/01/12/antisipasi-el-nino-pemerintah-kaji-impor-beras-dari-pakistan-dan-india

Nutritionist: Coffee does not contain cyanide

12

Jan

Nutritionist: Coffee does not contain cyanide

"Coffee is not a source of nutrients, so it should not be harmful. Coffee contains more caffeine and antioxidants, B1, and minerals, but since it is [...]

Nutritionist: Coffee does not contain cyanide. `Coffee is not a source of nutrients, so it should not be harmful. Coffee contains more caffeine and antioxidants, B1, and minerals, but since it is consumed in limited quantities, coffee drinkers are not seeking this, but rather a stimulant to avoid drowsiness or to maintain stamina,` he said when contacted by ANTARA News via phone on Sunday. Similar information was provided by Cardiologist at Bunda Hospital, Dr. Dicky Armein Hanafy. `In general, coffee contains no cyanide,` he said. `Cyanide is a deadly toxin which damages the central nervous system and the neuromuscular system,` he continued. Meanwhile, Cardiologist at the Harapan Kita Heart Center, Dr. Siska S. Danny, SpJP, revealed that cyanide is a toxic substance that prevents the cells from using oxygen, thereby causing death. Furthermore, according to Dr. Dicky, cyanide attacks all tissue to the extent that there is no oxygen exchange, or the occurrence of hypoxia, which is a deficiency of oxygen in the tissues. `Therefore, if cyanide does enter the body, it can cause coma, convulsions, and heart failure. However, depending on the dose, mild symptoms include shortness of breath, headache, and nausea,` he said. Polda Metro Jaya investigators suspected Wayan Mirna Salimin, or Mirna (27) died from a corrosive substance that caused damage to her stomach. They suspected that Mirna's stomach was damaged by a corrosive substance of the cyanide type based on the victim's reaction symptoms such as convulsions and foaming at the mouth. Mirna died after drinking Vietnamese iced coffee at the Olivia Restaurant in West Mall, Grand Indonesia, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday (6/1).Prof. Hardinsyah revealed that a cyanide-type substance is typically found in poisonous cassava, while cassava is one of the ingredients used to make the creamer commonly added when enjoying coffee.
Editor: Tasrief Tarmizi
http://www.antaranews.com/berita/539189/pakar-gizi-kopi-tak-mengandung-zat-jenis-sianida?utm_source=populer_home&utm_medium=populer&utm_campaign=news

Low CPO Price, 2016 Export Tax Target Slashed to IDR 2.9 trillion

08

Jan

Low CPO Price, 2016 Export Tax Target Slashed to IDR 2.9 trillion

Director General of Customs and Excise, Heru Pambudi, admitted export duty payment in 2015 was lower than the previous years. For example, in 2011, [...]

Low CPO Price, 2016 Export Tax Target Slashed to IDR 2.9 trillion. Director General of Customs and Excise, Heru Pambudi, admitted export duty payment in 2015 was lower than the previous years. For example, in 2011, export duty was Rp28.8 trillion, in 2012 it was Rp21.2 trillion, in 2013 it was Rp15.8 trillion, and in 2014 it was Rp11.3 trillion.Meanwhile, for this year, the export duty target was set at a lower rate of only Rp2.9 trillion. This year’s export duty target was lower due to the fall in crude palm oil (CPO) prices.According to the regulation, if price falls below US$750 per metric ton, export of CPO shall be exempted from export duty.`As the oil trend price keeps falling, the government estimates that the price of CPO will still be low. Therefore, the export duty target for 2016 is Rp2.9 trillion,` he said in a press conference in the head office of the Directorate General of Customs and Excise, Jakarta, on Friday (January 8).Heru explained that so far, CPO has been the export commodity with the largest contribution to export duty. If the international price is not supporting, it will have a big impact on export duty income.In addition, for mineral and coal commodities, the sector is also difficult to hope from as the optimization plan of the previously planned processing results has not been achieved. Moreover, the increasing smelter construction actually reduces the tariff imposed on companies.`This condition causes a potential loss of Rp8.1 trillion in export duty income,` he said. (dtf)
http://www.medanbisnisdaily.com/news/read/2016/01/08/208782/harga-cpo-rendah-target-bea-keluar-2016-dipangkas-jadi-rp-29-triliun/#.Vo9zpU9na1s

Oil Prices Drop Again, North Sumatra Exports Impacted.

08

Jan

Oil Prices Drop Again, North Sumatra Exports Impacted.

General Chairperson of the Indonesian Palm Oil Board (DMSI) Derom Bangun revealed that the price of crude oil is now a specter for the palm oil [...]

Oil Prices Drop Again, North Sumatra Exports Impacted.. General Chairperson of the Indonesian Palm Oil Board (DMSI) Derom Bangun revealed that the price of crude oil is now a specter for the palm oil industry in Indonesia, especially North Sumatra, because it has the potential to cause significant pressure. `With that situation, the price of CPO will have difficulty rising,` he said to MedanBisnis on Thursday (1/7).According to him, the price of palm oil, which was originally expected to improve this year, could also slip downward with the global dynamic that is pressuring the price of oil. Many parties are still predicting that the price of palm oil will improve to around $700 in the second quarter of 2016 with the hope that the price of oil will rebound. However, the current condition makes palm oil businessmen somewhat pessimistic, at least.In this matter, the Indonesian Palm Oil Board (DMSI) holds that the development of the global dynamic as mentioned above is causing the price of oil to tend to be below $35 per barrel. Along with this, the price of CPO will also not rise above $650 per ton. This depressed price of oil has resulted in the use of biodiesel derived from vegetable oils such as rapeseed and soybean oil decreasing in developed countries. As a consequence, these two types of vegetable oils will enter the food industry, which will itself pressure demand for palm oil.This will certainly have a very negative impact on North Sumatra's export performance. The reason for this is that the export value of CPO alone makes up almost 50% of the total export value. The depressed demand for and price of CPO will definitely erode North Sumatra's total export value. The balance of trade will likely waver.In addition to CPO, the performance of rubber exports will certainly also be disrupted by this global oil price. According to the Secretary of the Indonesian Rubber Companies Union (Gapkindo) for North Sumatra, Edy Irwansyah, the low price of crude oil will cause synthetic rubber production to be very cheap. `In that way, the price of synthetic rubber will be cheap on the market,` he said.As a consequence, demand for rubber will weaken and prices will sag more and more. In trade this week, the price of rubber actually reached a level of $1.1 per kg, continuing to experience a decline over the last several years.Just as happens with palm oil, with the decline in demand for rubber, North Sumatra's export condition is increasingly threatened. The export value of rubber alone is almost 20% of North Sumatra's total export value. `A situation like this will certainly be very harmful to the businesspeople and rubber farmers in North Sumatra,` he said.Based on notes from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the export value of North Sumatra from January to November 2015 reached a figure of $7.08 billion. This figure is down about 18.50% compared to the same period the previous year, which recorded a value of $8.68 billion. The decline in the value of exports is triggered by the negative performance recorded by palm oil and rubber exports, which each experienced declines of 20.17% and 21.49%, respectively.North Sumatra's economics observer, M. Ishak, revealed that the government and businesspeople must certainly seek a way to overcome this problem. One way that could be done is to increase domestic consumption.The biodiesel mandate of 20% or B20 needs to really be implemented this year so that our domestic absorption of CPO can be maximized. In that way, the supply for the export market will experience a decline and the market will respond by increasing the price. `In that way, our economy will continue to develop without depending on the export market,` he said.A similar thing could also be done with rubber. Domestic absorption could be increased by using rubber in infrastructure projects. The downstream rubber industry also needs to be developed to increase its sales value.This certainly will make revenue from the rubber sector higher even though the volume of exports is reduced. `At minimum, the price of rubber will be stable and could increase by the second half of this year,` he asserted.It should be noted that at the beginning of this year, Brent crude had already fallen more than 8%. The weakening Chinese economy, as the world's second largest consumer of oil, has triggered a decline in oil prices. This is because consumption from China is expected to decrease, while supply is abundant. Currently, the contract price of Brent crude has dropped $2.19 per barrel to $34.23 per barrel. Brent prices, at one point, had reached $34.13, or the lowest since July 2004.Market players are worried about the condition of world geopolitics, such as North Korea's nuclear test. Meanwhile, the tense relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran are expected to have only a small impact on the global oil distribution network. (daniel pekuwali)
http://www.medanbisnisdaily.com/news/read/2016/01/08/208624/ekspor-sumut-kian-tertekan/#.Vo9xlE9na1s

08

Jan

FAO: World food prices decline again in December

The major component in the Rome-based FAO index, cereals, saw its price fall by 1.3 percent, driven by lower wheat and maize quotations. Rice prices [...]

FAO: World food prices decline again in December. The major component in the Rome-based FAO index, cereals, saw its price fall by 1.3 percent, driven by lower wheat and maize quotations. Rice prices were largely unchanged compared to November. Dairy prices declined 1 percent, while meat prices fell by 2.2 percent due to increased pig meat production in Europe and reduced import demand for bovine meat from the United States.The declines were partly offset by a 2.1 percent increase in the index of vegetable oils and a 0.6 percent rise in sugar prices. The index was down 19.1 percent at the end of 2015 compared to a year earlier, FAO said. Prices fell in 10 of the 12 months during the year. Every commodity group saw prices decline in 2015: cereals ended the year 15.4 percent lower, dairy prices dropped 28.5 percent, while meat prices averaged 15.1 lower in 2015, vegetable oils fell by 19 percent and sugar prices declined 21 percent. `Ample supplies in the face of slackening global demand and a strengthening US dollar were the main factors behind the general weakness that dominated food prices,` Abdolreza Abbassian, a senior FAO economist, said in a statement, as quoted by Xinhua. The next update of FAO's index, which is based on the prices of 55 internationally traded food commodities from five major food groups, is expected on 4 February.   (Uu.A026)
Editor: Fitri Supratiwihttp://www.antaranews.com/berita/538834/fao-harga-pangan-dunia-turun-lagi-pada-desember

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