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AEKI estimates 2016 coffee production will drop

28

Apr

AEKI estimates 2016 coffee production will drop

"El Nino has been predicted and anticipated since last year, and resulted in predicted drop in national coffee production from 680,000 tons in 2015 [...]

AEKI estimates 2016 coffee production will drop. `El Nino has been predicted and anticipated since last year, and resulted in predicted drop in national coffee production from 680,000 tons in 2015 to 625,000 tons in 2016,” the chairman of AEKI, Irfan Anwar in Medan on Thursday.He delivered the statement on the sidelines of the IXth Regional Members Meeting (RUA) of AEKI North Sumatra with agenda of electing the chairman for the term of 2016-2021 which was opened by the Acting Governor of North Sumatra, HT Erry Nuradi.According to Irfan, the Indonesian coffee production has been declining for the past years due to the impact of weather condition, old plants, shift of Robusta plants to Arabica and felling of trees and replacing them with other plants.The highest coffee production was in 2012, which amounted to 750,000 tons.On the other hand, national coffee land area is about 1.2 million hectares and the productive area is only about 950,000 hectares.“The drop in production must be addressed jointly, especially with the government providing easiness of licensing for entrepreneurs to open coffee plantations and giving of superior seeds and fertilizer to the farmers,” Irfan who is also the founder of Coffindo said.Increase in production both by extension of the areas and productivity of coffee is considered important considering that coffee continues to be a relied-on commodity for export and in the domestic market.The coffee is a relied-on commodity because the overseas market is badly in need of Indonesian coffee, which has many types with different typical tastes, such as that produced in North Sumatra.Besides, the domestic market is getting better with the rising trend of coffee consumption, especially among the young people who are in huge number in the country.“Coffee is still promising, especially now that the price is still pretty good with a good trend. So it has to continue to be developed and it requires support, including from the government,” he said.Irfan emphasized that the increase in production must also be followed by better quality, so that it would not lose in competition with coffee produced by other countries, such as Brazil, Vietnam and Columbia.Currently, Indonesia is still the world’s third largest coffee producing country, after Brazil and Vietnam. Acting Governor of North Sumatra, HT Erry Nuradi stated that the North Sumatra Provincial Government is ready to support and cooperate with AEKI in developing the production and quality of North Sumatra’s coffee.He admitted that for long time coffee has been a relied-on export commodity of North Sumatra.Based on data from the North Sumatra Plantation Agency shows that North Sumatra’s coffee area is about 82.085,25 hectares and its production was 58,054.03 and that needs to be improved, including its quality.“The North Sumatra Provincial Government is ready to cooperate with AEKI in developing the production and quality of North Sumatra’s coffee,” he said.
Editor: Suryantohttp://www.antaranews.com/berita/557753/aeki-perkirakan-produksi-kopi-turun-2016

Governor dismayed by Switzerland’s failure to recognize Indonesian cocoa

27

Apr

Governor dismayed by Switzerland’s failure to recognize Indonesian cocoa

"The cocoa processed in Switzerland is from Indonesia, but it turns out that the country does not acknowledge it, after a visit to the country by the [...]

Governor dismayed by Switzerland’s failure to recognize Indonesian cocoa. `The cocoa processed in Switzerland is from Indonesia, but it turns out that the country does not acknowledge it, after a visit to the country by the West Sulawesi government,` Anwar said in Mamuju, Wednesday.Not long ago, the West Sulawesi regional government visited the Calleir Nestle chocolate factory in Interlaken, Switzerland, but there, they found that Indonesia was not included and was not considered as a supplier of cocoa to this factory.`Meanwhile, the factory processes cocoa, the majority of which comes from Indonesia. This is very disappointing,` Anwar said.During the visit to Switzerland, the West Sulawesi regional government saw directly the manufacture of ready-to-eat chocolate and visited a museum about the history of the introduction of cocoa to Europe.`Several countries were displayed in the museum as suppliers of cocoa to the Callier Nestle chocolate factory but the name Indonesia was not included in the museum, even though the majority of this cocoa comes from Indonesia, and West Sulawesi is the largest producer of cocoa in Indonesia,` Anwar said.`It will be reported to President Jokowi that Switzerland only acknowledges Japan and Australia as suppliers of cocoa while Indonesia is not acknowledged,` Anwar emphasized.
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
http://www.antaranews.com/berita/557470/gubernur-kecewa-swiss-tak-akui-kakao-indonesia

President wants businessmen to provide honest information

27

Apr

President wants businessmen to provide honest information

"I ask all of the entrepreneurs, large-scale entrepreneurs — Mrs. Mooryati Sudibyo is present here as well as other entrepreneurs that [...]

President wants businessmen to provide honest information. `I ask all of the entrepreneurs, large-scale entrepreneurs — Mrs. Mooryati Sudibyo is present here as well as other entrepreneurs that are large-scale, medium-scale, small-scale, and micro-scale — to provide accurate data. This has nothing to do with taxes, so do not be afraid,` said President Jokowi at the Inauguration of the 2016 Economic Census (SE2016) and Official Opening of the 2016 Economic Census Technical Coordination Meeting at the State Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday. He asked entrepreneurs to be honest and not to be afraid to provide their data, such as turnover information requested by census officers. The President said that this is important because accurate and detailed data serves to reflect the competitiveness and productivity of Indonesian businesses. `Do not be afraid. If your business has a turnover of 1,000, then just say 1,000. If it is 2,000, just say 2,000. Do not discount it by saying 1,000 if it is actually 2,000,` he said. He said that valid data is important for assessing the competitiveness and productivity of businesses in the country. `What is the condition of our small industries, our micro-entrepreneurs? This way, we can design our policies more clearly, so that we do not end up with an incomplete or inaccurate picture that will lead us to develop or implement incorrect policies,` he said. The President also acknowledged that the task of conducting the 2016 economic census is not an easy one. Furthermore, the number of online-based businesses has been growing exponentially. `Focus on the results we want to achieve, which is an accurate picture of the economic conditions and potential in the smallest regions in our rural areas, subdistricts, cities/districts, from micro-enterprises to large-scale enterprises. We have to obtain this picture,` he said. The President also wished the BPS officers and all other personnel supporting the 2016 economic census survey well in their duties, totaling 340,000 field officers. The officers will be deployed in 81,789 villages and subdistricts, so that the BPS will have access to detailed and accurate data that can be used by the government to formulate short-term, medium-term, and long-term policies.`I command all relevant ministries/institutions to fully support this successful survey, as well as provincial, district, and city governments that will be conducting the survey from May 1-31,` he said.
Editor: Suryantohttp://www.antaranews.com/berita/557387/presiden-minta-pengusaha-jujur-beri-informasi

APTRI requests that refined sugar factories enter IOD

27

Apr

APTRI requests that refined sugar factories enter IOD

Chairman of Indonesian Sugar Producers Association (APTRI) Arum Sabil during the Indonesian Farmers Association (HKTI) national work meeting in [...]

APTRI requests that refined sugar factories enter IOD. Chairman of Indonesian Sugar Producers Association (APTRI) Arum Sabil during the Indonesian Farmers Association (HKTI) national work meeting in Jakarta, Tuesday, said that the policy resulting in the weakened competitiveness of the domestic sugar industry was due to the increasingly relaxed policies on sugar imports and ease of permits for domestic refinery factories. `We urge the government to immediately include sugar refinery factories in the negative investment list,` he said, affirming. Arum said that there were 11 sugar refinery factories in Indonesia with an installed capacity of five million tons. Meanwhile, he continued, there was an application for import permits from new sugar factories that amounted to almost 800 thousand tons for idle capacity. Arum detailed that it meant that production would increase by 5.8 million tons and if added with the domestic production of 2.5 million tons, the total would reach 8.3 million tons. However, he added, the domestic consumption only reached 5.7 million tons. `If we always seek a way out by importing sugar, it will ultimately kill the domestic sugar cane farmers,` he added. Furthermore, he continued, sugar market potential in Indonesia was huge and if the domestic sugar industry died, the price of sugar could be controlled by the world market. `There is no other way. Sugar cane farmers have to be saved, and there should be regulations that protect the farmers through law enforcement,` he said. Besides trying to include sugar refinery factories in the negative investment list, he also said that there should be revitalization of sugar factories and of sugar cane plants from 470 thousand hectares to 750 thousand hectares. `With yield increased by 10 percent, 75 tons of sugar cane will produce 7.5 tons of sugar. With consumption of 5.7 million tons, we will have a surplus,` he said. Therefore, Arum said that there should be a policy that favored sugar cane farmers so that the competitiveness of domestic production could be increased. `There are many obstacles, such as fertilizer and financing not coming on time. We urge the government to protect the domestic sugar industry,` he said.
Editor: Ruslan Burhanihttp://www.antaranews.com/berita/557418/aptri-minta-pabrik-gula-rafinasi-masuk-dni

World Bank raises 2016 oil price forecast

27

Apr

World Bank raises 2016 oil price forecast

In its latest "Commodity Markets Outlook," the Washington-based global lender raised its crude oil price forecast for this year to US$41 [...]

World Bank raises 2016 oil price forecast. In its latest "Commodity Markets Outlook," the Washington-based global lender raised its crude oil price forecast for this year to US$41 per barrel, from its January projection of US$37 per barrel. The upward revision in oil price projections reflects improving market sentiment and a weakening U.S. dollar, and the World Bank also expects a smaller supply overhang. "We expect modestly higher prices for energy commodities over the course of the year, as markets rebalance after a period of oversupply," Xinhua quoted John Baffes, lead author of the report, as saying. "However, energy prices could fall further if OPEC were to significantly increase production and non-OPEC production does not decline as fast as we expect." Oil prices have rebounded from US$25 per barrel in mid-January to more than US$40 per barrel in April, supported by supply disruptions in Iraq and Nigeria, and falling non-OPEC production, mostly of U.S. shale oil. Despite the upward revision, the World Bank said oil prices are still expected to average lower than last year. Energy prices, including oil, natural gas and coal, are forecast to fall by an annual 19.3 percent this year, the World Bank said, which is much smaller than its January forecast of a 24.7 percent decline. Persistent high inventories and weak growth prospects in emerging and developing economies are key factors keeping energy prices lower than last year, the World Bank said. The World Bank cut its forecast for agricultural prices, as it sees 2016 as another bumper harvest year for most grains and oilseeds. The bank expects agricultural prices to fall 4.0 percent this year.  Metal prices are projected to decline by 8.2 percent this year, less than the bank’s January forecast of a 10.2 percent drop. The upgrade reflects expectations of robust demand growth from China, the World Bank said.  (Uu.A026)
http://www.antaranews.com/berita/557500/bank-dunia-naikkan-proyeksi-harga-minyak-2016

Industry Minister Wants Palm Oil Industry to Continue Growing Amidst Land Permit Moratorium

26

Apr

Industry Minister Wants Palm Oil Industry to Continue Growing Amidst Land Permit Moratorium

To that end, Saleh will follow the orders of President Jokowi while coordinating with internal parties that deal with the industry."That's what the [...]

Industry Minister Wants Palm Oil Industry to Continue Growing Amidst Land Permit Moratorium. To that end, Saleh will follow the orders of President Jokowi while coordinating with internal parties that deal with the industry.`That's what the sector is all about, and we will coordinate it further,` Saleh said when he was met in Jakarta on Monday.According to Saleh, the palm oil processing industry also contributes to earning foreign exchange, especially for the crude palm oil (CPO) industry. Although there was a decline in foreign exchange earnings in 2015, the figure of $18 billion was still considered a significant contribution as compared to 2014, which was at $21.6 billion. `Where else would you look? Everything is from within the country, and there are no imports whatsoever,` he said.In this case, Saleh also explained the number of direct workers involved in the industry, so that its growth must be maintained.   `Because from the direct labor force that has been absorbed, there have been around 6 million. It is very large and must be maintained, and it has been a large source of income for the country, `he said.
Editor: B Kunto Wibisonohttp://www.antaranews.com/berita/557200/menperin-ingin-industri-sawit-tetap-tumbuh-di-tengah-moratorium-izin-lahan

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