European investors view on Indonesia investment condition

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Managing Director of Indonesian Netherlands Association, Elmar Bouma delivered his remarks on the policies application of investment service in Indonesia from European investors` perspectives in a national seminar entitled "Regional Administration Strategies in Improving Investments Condition" as reported here Thursday. 

"Good governance, good policies with supportive facilities and infrastructures are the main expectations from foreign investors," he said in a seminar attended by 76 participants from regional administration, business practitioners and media. 

Promotion strategies are also one of his main point mentioning some efforts such as establishing an investment promotion institution, strengthening each potential area`s image and using information technology. 

When asked about the investment prospects, Bouma mentioned the visit of a number of potential business people from 25 companies lead by Netherlands` Minister of Economic Affairs, Maria van der Hoeven to Indonesia next month and another business group visit from Belgium as a good sign that Indonesia still drew investors` interests. 

He also said the investment opportunities and cooperation on agriculture products could happen considering Netherlands as the third largest agriculture products exporting country in the world. Meanwhile cacao and metal materials used for machineries such as iron could prospect from Belgium investors. 

Earlier the seminar featured Muhamad Lutfi, head of Investment Coordinating Board as keynote speaker, Faisal Basri, an economist and Fauzi Bowo, special capital district of Jakarta`s governor.

Experts from eight countries formulate post-disaster management

Surabaya (ANTARA News) - Experts from the Netherlands, Britain, Belgium, Srilanka, Germani, China, Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia have formulated post-disaster management.

The post-disaster management was formulated in a two-day symposium at Surabaya Sepuluh November Institute of Technology (ITS) from January 9-10 which was was concluded with a field trip to mud-hit area in Porong, Sidoarjo, on Thursday.

The experts who spoke in the symposium were Dr Emilia van Egmond of TU Eindhoven in the Netherlands, Dr Francis Edum Fotwe of Loughborough University in the United Kingdom, Prof George Ofori the National Univesity of Singapore, Prof Ananda Jayawardhane of the University of Moratuwa in Srilanka, Prof Jouke M Post of TU Eindhoven in the Netherlands, Prof Sc Techn. Christian Brockmann of Hochscule Brement in Germany, Prof Mohan Kumaraswamy of the University of Hong Kong, Prof Stephen O Ogunlana of Asian Institute of Technology, and Prof Johan Silas of ITS in Surabaya, Indonesia.

Frof Ananda Jayawardane of the University of Moratuwa in Srilanka said wooden houses were the temporary models of post-disaster management.

"Wooden houses are better in quake-prone areas, although woods are expensive and difficult to find in our country," Jayawardane said.

He said Srilanka was also hit by the deadly tsunami on December 26, 2005 but the country`s National Disaster Management Plan had been applied there since 2005.

Meanwhile, ITS Rector Prof Priyo Suprobo said he would design a house module for tsunami, earthquake, flood, and landslide victims.

"We used to design knock-down houses for Aceh tsunami victims," he said, adding that construction of such a kind of house could be completed in nine hours.

He added that one of the primary models in post-disaster management was the efficient, environmentally friendly and easy-to-construct houses.

Priyo Suprobo said ITS was currently designing a model of house which could be built in four hour.

"We are preparing the module, and the experts from various countries have given us input so we will recommend the result to the government," he said.

Britain is second biggest investor in RI After Japan

London (ANTARA News) - Britain is the second biggest investor in Indonesia after Japan but many British businessmen have complained about lack of information on new investment opportunities, Indonesia`s chief investment official said.

"Britain is one of the important countries for Indonesia as its business players have remained the second biggest investor in Indonesia since 1967," chairman of the Capital Investment Coordination Board (BKPM), Muhammad Lutfi, said here on Wednesday.

Lutfi was here to promote investment opportunities in Indonesia among British business people at a business luncheon held by the Indonesian Embassy and the BKPM Representative Office in The British capital.

He said he had previously held similar meetings with French and Belgian businessmen and would do the same with Japanese investors in Tokyo, Japan, later.

The sectors in which British businessmen were operating in Indonesia included technology, coal mining and palm oil production, he said.

He admited that although the BKPM had a representative office in London many British businessmen he had met had complained about a lack of promotion on investment opportunities in Indonesia, especially those opened under the country`s new investment law.

British businessmen had also raised questions about the manpower law, overlapping regulations and the consistency of certain laws.

About overall investment growth in Indonesia, Lutfi said it had been significant, namely 176 percent from US19 billion to US$35 billion.

Hopefully, he added, with the new investment law and the government`s strong commitment, Indonesia would draw more investors and even be able to compete with such countries as Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.

In order to better serve prospective investors` interests, the government would soon set up a one-gate service system for them and also provide them with other facilities and certain incentives, Lutfi said.

Switzerland, Belgium to be invited to set up chocolate plants in RI

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia will invite Switzerland and Belgium to set up chocolate producing plants in the country which is known as one of the world`s biggest cocoa producers, a cabinet minister said.

"I will invite world-class producers from Switzerland and Belgium to invest in Indonesia. We are already to establish contacts with them. I will ask my colleagues (in the cabinet) to grant them facilities so that they can develop a chocolate industry in Indonesia," Industry Minister Fahmi Idris said here on Friday.

He said cocoa-based industries could be built at upstream as well as downstream level because the country had huge resources of the raw materials.

Like in the crude palm oil industry, the government would also issue regulations to encourage the building of downstream cocoa-based industries, he said.

He said the government hoped top chocolate producers in the world would invest in Indonesia. "We are seeking cooperation. They will maintain their brands but have to build plants here," he said.

He said the chocolate industry had not yet developed properly in Indonesia although some local brands such as "Silver Queen" had already been in circulation in the country.

"We wish to develop an industry with a complete and integrated network like the CPO industry," he said.

He said because Indonesia wished to build a chocolate industry it had refused to cooperate with a chocolate association from the European Union (Coabisco) because they only wished to buy cocoa beans from Indonesia.

"They were prepared to train farmers in the raising good cocoa plants, which they would buy later on. I did not agree with their proposal. I want them to train the local farmers and set up a factory here," he said.

Indonesia has so far been the world`s third biggest producer of cocoa beans after Ivory Coast and Ghana with its production reaching around 400,000 tons a year. Around 70 percent of the production is exported.

The minister said the government would also support the development of downstream coffee industries and local coffee trademarks because the country was also one of the world`s biggest coffee producers.