Vietnamese investor eyeing corn in west Kalimantan

Antara News, Monday, April 5, 2010 05:54 WIB

Pontianak (ANTARA News) - A Vietnamese investor said it was set to make an investment in the agriculture sector, especially corn, in Kubu Raya regency.

"The Vietnamese investor has met with the local administration and hoped it could start investing this year," head of the West Kalimantan capital investment coordinating board M Zeet Hamdy Assovie said in Pontianak Sunday.

He added that actually Vietnam was only one of the countries whose investors were interested in food crops in Indonesia. "Investors from South Korea, Japan, and China were also interested in investment in West Kalimantan, because the province has vast plots of fertile land," he said.

West Kalimantan, he added, ranks ninth of the big ten countries with an interest in investment in Indonesia.

The West Kalimantan investment board is preparing a one-door integrated regional service, which is currently being introduced to Singkawang city, Bengkayang and Sambas regencies, M Zeet Hamdy Assovie said.

Nationally, the national investment coordinating agency (BKPM) has projected 70 one-door integrated service centers in 2010.

Ancol to perform in Thailand and Vietnam

Nani Afrida , The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 11/24/2009 4:35 PM

Jakarta-owned developer and recreation operator PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol will expand its business to overseas markets by performing dolphin shows in three countries—Vietnam, China and Thailand, starting next year.

The company president director, Budi Karya Sumadi, said that Vietnam would be the first country to be visited, which would cost Rp 10 billion (US$ 950,000) in investment.

“We will work together with Soui Tien Park in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. So, the budget would be smaller,” Budi Karya told reporters and investors during the company public expose in Jakarta on Tuesday.

According to Budi Karya, Ancol would spend about Rp 20 billion to perform dolphin shows in those countries.

“The shows overseas are part of our plans to boost our revenue next year. We also have several other programs in the city amusement park,” he said.

Related Article:

Ancol gains more revenue on amusement parks

PM plans 24 expressways totalling 2,300km, plus more public transport

Viet Nam News, (29-08-2009)

HCM CITY — Viet Nam plans to build 24 expressways and expressway sections with a total length of 2,381 km by 2020, as approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Under the plan to 2020 with a vision to 2030, all national roads will meet technical standards by 2020.

Workers at Thang Long Construction Corporation spead asphalt on the under-construction high-way from HCM City to Long An. Viet Nam plans to build 24 expressways with a total length of 2,381km by 2020. —VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Nhan

Construction of all large bridges will be completed and all bridges in disrepair on national roads will be rebuilt by 2020. All footbridges made from trees and bamboo will be replaced by concrete bridges, and provincial roads will be paved with asphalt or cement.

Wider roads

Roads wide enough for cars to travel to the centre of communes will also be built.

The plan envisages rapid development of public transport in large urban areas, especially in Ha Noi and HCM City.

It also calls for a transport infrastructure network and public transport facilities for people with disabilities.

The plan targets 5.5 billion passenger trips within a year by 2020, and freight volume of 760 million tonnes by 2020.

By 2020, the country is expected to have about 2.8-3 million automobiles.

The plan also aims to control the increasing number of individual vehicles, resolve traffic jam problems and ensure urban traffic safety. It aims to offer safe transpor at reasonable prices.

To 2030, the plan calls for the completion of the modernisation of road infrastructure, which will include the construction of more expressways, expressway sections, urban roads and beltway roads. — VNS

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.

RI may benefit from Nike's global rationalization strategy

Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post | Mon, 03/23/2009 1:22 PM

Indonesia's footwear industry may gain more orders placed by United States-based sports apparel company Nike Inc., following plans by the footwear giant to stop orders at four factories globally as part of a major rationalization program, cutting orders to take account of the global economic downturn, as demand has been slashed by falling purchasing power.

Industry Minister Fahmi Idris said last Friday that none of the four factories that are negatively affected are located in Indonesia.

"Nike says it will stop placing (shoe) orders at four factories but none of them are in Indonesia. Its good news," he told reporters at the ministry, while reading a short message service he received from Nike's country manager for Indonesia, John Richard.

"Indonesia will not be affected by Nike's plan. Instead, Indonesia may have Nike place more orders at factories here," he said.

The move made by Nike is prompted by a double-digit decline in shoe orders in the global market amid the economic downturn, which started to impact negatively on world trade, and on shoe production in Indonesia, in the second half of last year.

The ministry's director general for metal, machinery, textiles and miscellaneous, Ansari Bukhari, said Nike usually placed orders in Vietnam, China and Thailand, as well as in Indonesia.

"Our condition is deemed as the most conducive, compared to other countries (where Nike usually places orders)," he said.

The domestic shoe market accounts for 235 million pairs per annum, including 94 million pairs made by local firms and 141 million pairs imported from abroad.

Every year, national shoe production, mostly for export, amounts to 1.2 billion pairs , including 800 million pairs of sports shoes.

Around 60 percent of sports shoes are orders from Nike.

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)

Semen Gresik may acquire a regional rival

Ika Krismantari, THE JAKARTA POST, JAKARTA | Wed, 03/18/2009 10:38 AM

PT Semen Gresik, the country’s largest cement maker, may acquire a 40 percent stake in a regional rival as domestic demand slows and the global economic recession makes assets cheaper.

“At the moment, prices are cheap. We don’t want to lose momentum,” president director Dwi Soetjipto said on Tuesday, adding the company has appointed Credit Suisse Group as acquisition plan adviser.

The targets for this expansion plans are cement companies located in the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia now producing cement at a cost of between US$80 to $90 per metric ton, Dwi added.

Highlighting a decline in global prices of assets, Bloomberg reported that the MSCI AC Asia Pacific Excluding Japan Materials Index, which tracks 65 makers of basic materials including cement and metals, has fallen 52 percent in the past year.

The acquisition plan, according to Dwi, has forced the company to again revise its capital expenditure plan budget to be spent between 2009 and 2012, which had been previously revised down to $1.3 billion, from $1.6 billion earlier.

“We are again reviewing our financial plan and the change can be upward as we try to accommodate the acquisition plan in the budget,” he said, without mentioning figures.

Semen Gresik vice president Heru Adiningrat said the company planned to hold a shareholder meeting in May to seek approval for the plan.

So far, Heru added, the company has selected six firms as possible acquisition targets.

Semen Gresik’s acquisition plan aims to help it retain its revenue growth amidst an expected decline in growth of local demand this year.

Cement producers expect domestic sales to increase by 3 percent this year, lower than about 12 percent growth last year, with some growth continuing thanks in part, according to Dwi, to the government’s Rp 71.3 trillion (around US$6.1 billion) economic stimulus plan.

Semen Gresik may produce 19 million tons of cement this year, around 4 percent higher than last year. It currently is the leader in the country’s cement market with a 44 percent market share.

Dwi said that the company targeted to export 1.5 million tons of cement this year, up from 1 million tons in 2008. Semen Gresik exports its products to South Asia, Africa and Middle Eastern countries.

“There’s room for an increase in domestic sales due to the stimulus package,” Dwi said.

“If domestic demand weakens, we’ll boost exports, but if that fails, we’ll reduce capacity.”

During the press conference, the company also announced a 42 percent increase in net profits last year from a year earlier, to Rp 2.52 trillion from Rp 1.78 trillion, as sales rose, facilitating growth in profits.

It sold 17.66 million tons in 2008, up from 16.9 million ton in 2007.

The publicly listed company is 51.09 percent owned by the government, 24.01 percent by Blue Valley Holdings — a subsidiary of business conglomerate Rajawali Group — and 24.9 percent by the investing public.

Elnusa set for overseas expansion

Ika Krismantari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

With its IPO right around the corner, PT Elnusa, a subsidiary of state oil and gas company PT Pertamina, is gearing up for further overseas expansion this year.

Elnusa president director Eteng A. Salam said over the weekend the company had recently procured three contracts for oil and gas projects in Brunei Darussalam worth a combined US$15.1 million.

The contracts, for seismic operation, each ran eight months, Eteng said.

The Brunei projects are a start, he said.

"We plan to expand our seismic services abroad, especially for oil and gas operators in the Asia Pacific region."

Hendri S Suardi, Elnusa finance director, told The Jakarta Post the company had also placed a bid for an oil and gas project in Vietnam.

At present, Elnusa has an on-going project in Libya, where Pertamina manages two oil blocks.

Elnusa would remain a big player at home, he said, having already secured deals with high profile clients such as U.S.-based ConocoPhillips, the country's largest oil company, Medco EP, and France-based energy firm Total.

Hendri said that up to now, the company had secured around 20 contracts, mostly from drilling activities, worth Rp 700 billion (US$75.2 million) from both local and overseas clients.

As one of Pertamina's most profitable units, Elnusa has 14 business units operating in the oil and gas sector, both upstream and downstream, and is also involved in the information technology field.

Elnusa plans to launch an IPO of 20 percent in new shares Jan. 25-29.

Last year, Elnusa's revenue rose 12 percent to Rp two trillion from Rp 1.87 trillion the previous year, while its net profit increased by 27 percent to Rp 110 billion from Rp 83.03 billion.

In 2008 the company expects to double its net profit to more than Rp 200 billion.

Indonesia seeks 25,000 tonnes of Vietnam coffee

Ho Chi Minh City (ANTARA News) - Indonesia, a key robusta producer, has been negotiating to buy 25,000 tonnes of Vietnamese coffee to fill a shortfall at home, where consumption has been rising, an industry official said on Thursday.

"Indonesian companies are talking with Vietnamese exporters to buy 25,000 tonnes for early shipment as our stock is very low now," Litha Brent, vice chairman of the Association of Indonesian Coffee Exporters (AEKI), told Reuters.

A Vietnamese exporter, who was familiar with the price talks, said Indonesian buyers were in Ho Chi Minh City, looking mostly for robusta grade 1, discounts of which to London March contracts now stood at $100 to $110 a tonne.

"They would take shipment over a period of time, each with several containers," he said.

March contracts ended $27 up at $1,792 a tonne on Wednesday in London.

Vietnam is the world's largest producer of robusta variety used for making instant coffee while Indonesia is its Asian rival in production of the beans.

Indonesia is likely to import up to 60,000 tonnes of coffee from Vietnam, Kenya and Uganda in January to April 2008 to meet expanding demand ahead of the new crop arrival, AEKI Chairman Hassan Widjaja told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday.

The net coffee exporter produces about 300,000 tonnes of coffee beans a year. Its domestic consumption is estimated to rise 11 percent to 200,000 tonnes next year, Widjaja said.

Indonesia has bought 80,000 tonnes of coffee this year for domestic consumption, Brent said at an international conference in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's key coffee trading market.

The main coffee harvest in Sumatra, a key coffee producing region, runs from March to October.

Bandung to host Asian int'l art show

BANDUNG, West Java (The Jakarta Post): Selarso Senaryo art space will host the 22nd Asian International Art Exhibition (AIAE) from Nov. 23-Dec.24.

Organizing committee chairman Setiawan Sabana said Tuesday artists from 10 Asian countries would display more than 100 works at the gallery, which is located on Jl. Bukit Pakar Timur 100.

The AIAE will also provide a forum for artists and art professionals who are affiliated with the Federation of Asian Artists to explore the exhibit's theme: "Imaging Asia: Understanding the Diversity and Changes". Bandung last hosted the yearly event in 1992.

The organizing committee this year comprises representatives of the FAA in Indonesia, the Fine Art Research Center of Bandung's Institute of Technology and Selasar Sunaryo Art Space.

The participating artists are from Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

"This AIAE is aimed at enhancing contemporary art communications and exchanges between Asian nations, while at the same time promoting mutual understanding of and respect for the traditions and cultures of Asian countries," Setiawan said.

Thailand in search for energy supply from neighbouring countries

Google/AFP, 4 hours ago

BATAM, Indonesia (AFP) — Southeast Asia's biggest offshore oil platform, weighing in at 16,800 tonnes, is near completion in Indonesia's island of Batam. Destined for the Arthit gas fields in the Gulf of Thailand, the half-billion-dollar behemoth is expected to soon take centre stage in Thailand's bid to escalate drilling and secure energy supplies.

Natural gas generates nearly all of the electricity in Thailand, which long ago shed its rural roots and is galloping towards greater urbanisation and a broader industrial base.

Demand for gas is expected to rise by an annual average of 8.4 percent through to 2015, and Thailand's top energy firm PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP), which will take control of the Batam rig, hopes to be operating the nation's largest gas production facility by February 2008.

Even with capacity of nearly 370 million cubic feet per day, the massive Arthit project will not be able to supply power-hungry Thailand which is already looking further afield to meet demand.

"The existing domestic supply of natural gas is likely to be wiped out in the next 18 years," said PTTEP spokesman Sidhichai Jayant.

"Consequently, we are in need of natural gas supplies from neighbouring countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam, which have larger reserves than us, to fulfill future consumption."

While domestic gas supplies currently account for about half of Thailand's consumption, PTTEP plans to invest some 70 billion baht (two billion dollars) in overseas energy projects over the next five years as it anticipates heavier reliance on foreign gas reserves.

"Energy supplies from abroad are critical for Thailand, especially for long-term reliability as local supplies of gas and oil are limited," said Chavalit Pichalai of the Energy Policy and Planning Office.

"Even though we are diversifying to coal-fired and nuclear power generation, natural gas will remain a key source of electricity. We need to diversify our overseas gas supplies for long-term stability," he said.

This could prove tricky in a region beset by territorial disputes and, in the case of Myanmar, Thailand's largest supplier, political instability.

Myanmar's bloody crackdown on anti-government protests has sparked international condemnation and could force Bangkok to re-assess its trade relationship with its neighbour, which accounts for more than 30 percent of Thailand's energy supplies.

Although PTTEP says exploration is continuing in Myanmar's lucrative M-9 gas field in the southwestern Gulf of Martaban, experts warn that Thailand's supply lines, and reputation, could suffer with continued unrest in military-ruled Myanmar.

"Any interruption of the gas supply from there will put Thailand in a difficult position," said Suthiphan Chirathivat, associate professor of economics at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University.

"Thailand should prepare contingency plans for any emergency in Myanmar.

"Meanwhile, the Thai government has to be more cautious in continuing its economic partnership with Myanmar if we don't want to have conflict with Western countries," he added.

Thanatthep Chatarakarn, energy analyst with Bua Luang Securities, said Thailand should look to alternative gas suppliers such as Indonesia and the Middle East.

"If negotiations for Myanmar's M-9 are affected by ongoing unrest there, PTTEP will be hard-pressed to secure more gas from abroad, especially if the Thai economy grows more than is projected," he said.

Diversifying energy sources could be difficult as the region's other booming economies also try to meet their own needs.

Indonesia's government has already said it wants to focus on supplying its own domestic energy needs from 2010.

PTTEP's Sidhichai said a significant oil project is now online in Vietnam and is expected to provide 20,000 barrels per day from the second half of 2008.

Elsewhere PTTEP has partnered with Malaysia's Petronas Carigali in a natural gas project expected to start next year, while two onshore drilling ventures have begun in Indonesia.

Since discovering oil in 2005, Cambodia is also being eyed as a source.

Thailand has acquired exploration rights for two projects in oil fields that are partially shared with its eastern neighbor, which is believed to have hundreds of millions of barrels of oil in its vast undersea reserves and could begin production as early as 2010.

However, boundary disputes have delayed drilling in one field, although talks are reportedly underway to resolve the disagreement and free up access to millions more barrels.

RI to host first international rattan exhibition next year

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The local rattan industry is gearing up to hold its first international exhibition next year as part of an effort to attract more international buyers and promote the use of natural rattan in the furniture industry.

The International Furniture and Craft Fair Indonesia (IFFINA), which will be held from March 5 through 9 at the Jakarta International Expo complex at Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, will be organized by the Indonesia Furniture Industry and Handicraft Association (ASMINDO).

The association's executive director, Sae Tanangga Karim, said Thursday that the expo, which would cover 10,000 square meters, was expected to be attended by around 600 exhibitors, with more than a hundred of them coming from abroad.

"Vietnam, one of the rising furniture exporters, has confirmed it will participate in the expo," Sae said at the launch of the expo plan by Industry Minister Fahmi Idris, chairman of the National Craft Council, Mufidah Jusuf Kalla, and the representatives of other bodies.

"We expect the expo to attract potential buyers from 32 countries, including the European countries and the United States," said Sae, adding that the association would also bring a road show to ten cities in Indonesia to introduce the expo and promote the use of natural rattan.

Indonesia, which has the capacity to produce between 250,000 and 400,000 tons of rattan per year, provides about 85 percent of the world's supply of natural rattan, which is increasingly being replaced by artificial rattan.

ASMINDO chairman Ambar Tjahyono said more and more products, such as lounge and beach chairs, were being made of artificial rattan, which he said was not environmentally friendly and was more expensive than natural rattan.

"We have been actively campaigning for the use of natural rattan both at home and abroad using the slogan 'the real rattan is Indonesia'," he said.

"We hope this expo, along with the campaign, will increase our exports of furniture, including those of rattan, by 8 to 10 percent, from around US$1.8 billion last year to around $2 billion this year," said Sae, adding that furniture exports amounted to $500 million as of the end of June.

In his speech, Minister Fahmi said that he hoped the export value of rattan furniture would reach $3 billion over the next three years, representing an increase of more than 30 percent over the 2006 figure.

To meet this target, he said the Industry Ministry would propose a ban on unprocessed and semi-processed rattan exports so as to increase exports of rattan furniture.

Indonesia and Vietnam to join forces to market pepper

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia and Vietnam, two of the world's main producers of pepper, are to cooperate in marketing it, an executive of the Indonesian pepper industry said Wednesday.

Mustakim Wijaya, vice-chairman of the Indonesian Pepper Exporters' Association, said producers here and in Vietnam planned to establish a joint committee to focus on marketing, improving quality standards and compiling statistics.

"The Vietnamese side wants the joint committee to be formed before the end of the year, and we are working on this," he was quoted by Thomson Financial as saying.

Together, the two countries produce more than 45 percent of the world's pepper.

Wijaya said the committee would meet annually to discuss the international market.

China and Brazil, two other big producers, have expressed interest in joining the committee and have sent observers to meetings between Indonesian and Vietnamese representatives, including a two-day meeting which finished here Tuesday.

Vietnam has about 33 percent of the world market, Brazil has 15 percent and Indonesia 13 percent.

Mustakim said that world pepper supply remained well below demand, with a shortfall of about 47,500 tonnes estimated for 2007.