RI gives agricultural training to developing counties

Antare News, Thu, April 7 2011

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Agriculture officers of five developing countries are taking part in a two-week long training and apprenticeship program which opened in West Java`s resort area of Lembang on Thursday.

Retno LP Marsudi. (kemlu)

Director General of America and Europe at the Foreign Ministry Retno Marsudi opened the event held jointly with the Agriculture Ministry.

The event consists of international training on fruit and vegetable post-harvest technology for Asia Pacific countries and apprenticeship program for Comoros farmers.

The five countries are Bangladesh, Fiji, Laos, Sri Lanka and Timor Leste.

In her address Retno said the two activities were one of the manifestations of the Indonesian government`s commitment to help develop the agriculture sector of fellow developing countries.

"The agricultural sector is the important asset of Indonesia`s soft power diplomacy and for more than three decades Indonesia has played an active role in facilitating the exchange of experience in the agricultural sector through training, apprenticeship and dispatch of skilled workers to various counties in Asia and the Pacific and Africa," she said.

She expressed her belief that developing countries could contribute to improving the global food security which currently came under the spotlight from the international community.

Secretary General of the Agriculture Ministry Hari Priyono meanwhile said the government`s policies on national food security had yielded fruits with the attainment of self-reliance in rice in 2008.

"The agricultural sector is a strategic sector in the Indonesian economy and the Indonesian government will always try to meet the national consumption needs to ensure the public access to foodstuffs which constitutes one of human beings` basic rights." he said.

"Through the two activities the Secretary General of the Agriculture Ministry expects that the participants could improve their technical competence so that it could be applied to support the development of the agricultural sector in their respective country," he said.

Editor: Priyambodo RH

Palestinian Ambassadors follow diplomatic training in Indonesia

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - An international diplomacy training which had been going on for almost a month now in Jakarta and in some other cities in Indonesia were followed by 23 foreign diplomats, including four Palestinians who are ambassadors to Bulgaria, Zimbabwe and Tanzania.

Deputy Foreign Minister Triyono Wibowo when opening the training in Jakarta Thursday said that the training for the Palestinian officials was one form of Indonesia`s high commitment to help the struggle of the Palestinian people.

The diplomatic training opened at the foreign ministry on Thursday was a Foreign Service Staff School held from March 30 to April 24, 2009.

The third Sesparlu was attended by 13 senior diplomats from Indonesia and nine diplomats from China, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia and Laos as well as four Palestinian ambassadors.

Thai Ratchaburi may take Indonesia power plant stake

Reuters, Thu Mar 19, 2009 2:58am EDT

BANGKOK, March 19 (Reuters) - Thailand's Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding RATC.BK said on Thursday it was in discussions with PT Truba Alam Manunggal Engineering Tbk about investing in a power plant in Indonesia.

Ratchaburi, Thailand's largest private power producer, expected to take about 40 percent in the coal-fired power plant, which had an estimated cost of $274.3 million, the Thai firm said in a statement.

The 270-megawatt power plant is located in Kuala Tanjung and commercial operations are expected to begin in 2010.

Apart from Indonesia, Ratchaburi has said it is looking for opportunities to invest in Laos and Vietnam as part of its attempt to boost capacity.

Ratchaburi is 45 percent owned by state-run Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand and 15 percent owned by Banpu (BANP.BK), the country's biggest coal miner.

At the midday break, Ratchaburi shares were up 0.65 percent at 38.75 baht, while the overall market was 0.94 percent higher. (Reporting by Khettiya Jittapong; Editing by Alan Raybould)

Rajawali Group to develop Cambodian airline

Jakarta (ANTARA News/Asia Pulse) - Indonesia's Rajawali Group on Thursday signed a cooperation agreement with the Cambodian government to develop its national airline.

Under the agreement, Rajawali will build the infrastructure facilities needed to develop the airline, the company's spokesman, Christiantoko, said on Thursday. As a follow-up to the agreement, both sides will set up a new company which will be 49 per cent owned by Rajawali and 51 per cent by the Cambodian government, he said.

Lampung exports 249,728 tons of non-oil commodities to Pakistan

Bandarlampung, Lampung Province (ANTARA News) - Lampung province exported at least 249,728 tons of non-oil/non-gas commodities to Pakistan from January to July 2007, a local official said.

Lampung earned a total of US$20,360 in foreign exchange from the exports, Suparmo of the Lampung trade, industry and cooperatives office said here.

The exports had increased by 91.43 percent in value and by 93.05 tons in volume compared to the figures on the same period last year, he said.

Lampung exported among other things coal and sodium cyclamate to Pakistan. PT Bukit Asam Mining Company (PTBA) exported 37,873 tons of coal worth US$1.7 million, while PT Golden Sari exported sodium cyclamate amounting to 227 tons worth US$557,250 to Pakistan last July alone.

In addition to Pakistan, Lampung also exports non-oil/non-gas commodiies to India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Nepal, he said.