Indonesia a disaster prone country

Disaster, a perceived tragedy, being either a natural calamity or man-made catastrophe. It is a hazard which has comes to fruition. A hazard, in turn, is a situation which poses a level of threat to life, health, property, or that may deleteriously affect society or an environment.

What is Disaster?

A natural disaster is a consequence when a natural hazard such as volcanic eruption or earthquake affects humans and their environment.

Man-made disasters caused by human action, negligence, error, or involving the failure of a system.

Technological Man-made disasters are the results of failure of technology, such as engineering failures, transport disasters, or environmental disasters.

Indonesia is One of Disaster Prone Countries of the World
 

About 90% of the world's earthquakes and 80% of the world's largest earthquakes occur along the Pacific Ring of Fire, which has 452 volcanoes and is home to over 75% of the world's active and dormant volcanoes.

Indonesia lies between the Ring of Fire along the northeastern islands adjacent to and including Papua and the Alpide belt along the south and west from Sumatra, Java, Bali, Flores, and Timor.

Indonesia precisely located in three major tectonic plates which are The Indo-Australian Plate, Eurasian Plate and also Pacific Plate. These three tectonic plates produce frequent earthquake which also could form a tsunami. Other disasters like floods, fires and hurricanes are the results of nature vulnerability and destruction.

The threats of environment destruction such as hurricane, floods, avalanche, epidemic, abrasion, earthquake, pest, fires, drought, volcanic eruption, and also sabotage with terrorism, nowadays are more destructive to nature itself. Because the global warming is brought unstable situation to every corner of the earth.

In the last ten years, the globe has stricken many disasters whether it’s in small or big scale. The worst is, the intensity of the event is getting higher and the variety of the tragedy is becoming wider and complex. Whatever the cause is, there always great loss in every aspect.

With those potential hazards, Indonesia needs to strengthen national capability in disaster management, empower local authorities in anticipating and responding disaster in their regions, coordinate all stakeholders and activities in disaster management and incorporate disaster risk reduction in the framework of national development plan.

Disaster Management in Indonesia

Tsunami strikes again in Japan on March 11, 2011. After a deadly 8.9 earthquake, one of the largest earthquakes in the history of Japan, a massive tsunami hit the north east coast of Japan.

Indonesia is one of the world's most disaster-prone countries. Now is the time for Indonesia to priorite management disaster.

To get everything that essential about:

• Understand what is a disaster, the loss from it, prevention act, what should we do in a disaster, and also survival act after it.  
• Reduce fatality and loss from a disaster.
• Detection of disaster, avoid its potential threats, prevent its effect in every aspects.
• Better in get over a disaster and helping victims.
• Restore places to normal better and faster.
• More efficient and effective in resources.

Potential Hazards

• Geologically prone to earthquake, tsunami, volcano eruption and landslides.
• Hydrometeorology (flood, flash-flood, typhoon and drought).
• Biology (epidemics, diseases and pest).
• Environment degradation (deforestation, forest fire, haze, water and air pollution).
• Technological failure (transportation and industrial accidents).
• Social Conflict (civil unrest and terrorism).

Policies 

• Strengthen national capability in disaster management, especially in prevention, mitigation and preparedness.
• Manage and mobilize all potential resources (infrastructure and manpower) in disaster preparedness, responds and recovery.
• Empower local authorities in anticipating and responding disaster in their regions.
• Coordinate all stakeholders and activities in disaster management.
• Incorporate disaster risk reduction in the framework of national development plan.

Strategies

• Disseminate disaster risk reduction and strengthen capacity through training and education.
• Prepare disaster legislation, regulations and standard operating procedures.
• Set up disaster management information systems.
• Disseminate hazard mapping and risk assessment.
• Set up disaster management plan in all levels.
• Strengthen National/Provincial/District Emergency Operation Center and Rapid Response Team.
• Strengthen local capacity in disaster recovery. 

Conclusions

Indonesia is disaster prone country, both natural and human induce disaster. Disaster management in Indonesia needs support from space technology in terms of hazard and risk mapping, early warning, damage assessment and rehabilitation. The Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum or APRSAF play an important role to assist Indonesia in the disaster management.

Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI Arrived in Indonesia

PT Garuda Mataram Motor (GMM), the sole agent of the Audi in Indonesia seem to want to strengthen its presence in the premium car market for Indonesia. GMM will present one of the super-fast car that Audi R8 V10 Spyder in the homeland.

The Audi R8 Spyder will be on display at leading automotive exhibition in Indonesia, the Indonesia International Motor Show (IIMS) 2010 at the JI Expo Kemayoran, on July 2010. Not only are displayed, in conjunction with the appearance of the Audi R8 at IIMS 2010, PT GMM plans to start selling Audi R8 in the domestic automotive market.

"We're going to show off the Audi R8 V10 Spyder in IIMS. Not only be displayed but our immediate and direct selling can be obtained," said Wanny Bhakti, the Head of Public Relations Department GMM, Sunday (05/09/2010).

Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI quattro is the next variant of its top-of-the-line model. With the Audi R8, the brand has established itself at the forefront of high-end sports cars from the very start - and now comes the Audi R8 V10. Its 5.2-liter, ten-cylinder engine churns out 386 kW (525 hp) and 530 Nm (390.91 lb-ft) of torque, which makes for breathtaking performance. With superior Audi technologies such as quattro all-wheel drive, the lightweight aluminum body, the innovative all-LED headlights, and its striking design, the Audi R8 V10 takes pole position against the competition.

The V10 engine in the production sports car will be almost identical in construction to the one in the racing version. Its displacement is 5,204 cc, at 6,500 rpm it delivers 530 Nm (390.91 lb-ft) of torque, at 8,000 rpm its power tops out at 386 kW (525 hp).

The specific power output is 100.9 hp per liter of displacement - and each hp has to propel only 3.09 kilograms (6.91 lb) of weight, because the Audi R8 V10 in the version with the six-speed manual gearshift weighs only 1,620 kilograms (3571 lb). The engine accounts for 258 of these kilograms (569 lb) - that's only 31 kilos (68 lb) more than the V8.

The Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI quattro rockets from zero to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in 3.9 seconds. In the version with the sequentially shifting R tronic it reaches 200 km/h (124.27 mph) in another 8.1 seconds. Even then its propulsive power hardly lessens: it's sufficient to reach a top speed of 316 km/h (196.35 mph). The immense force, the spontaneity and the thrust of the acceleration, plus the sound of the engine - all these impressions coalesce into a breathtaking sports car experience. The V10 plays a concert with growling bass tones and powerful high notes, which grows into a grandiose fortissimo as the engine revs up. This sonorous acceleration doesn't reach its limit until 8,700 rpm.

The 5.2-liter powerplant uses direct injection according to the FSI principle developed by Audi. A common rail system injects the fuel into the combustion chambers with up to 120 bar of pressure. Direct injection reduces the susceptibility to knocking and provides a certain amount of cooling through the evaporation of the fuel, which in turn supports a high compression ratio of 12.5:1. This in turn contributes to superior performance and improves fuel economy. The Audi R8 V10 with R tronic gets by on an average of 13.7 liters per 100 km.

Although Audi has not announced the price of this new model for the Indonesian car market, but the mere comparison of the Audi R8 V10 prices in the United States market is USD 147,000 or approximately IDR 1.3 billion.

Then what the price of Audi R8 when it arrived in Indonesia?

Our Future is in the Ocean

This fact was revealed by Desy Mantiri, the Secretary of Local Secretariat of World Ocean Conference, at a restaurant in Jakarta. Sinyo Harry Sarundajang who not long ago was elected as governor of North Sulawesi province likes to visit the islands under his territory and one day he reached the borders with the ocean territory of the Philippines. On one occasion, when visiting the northern-most island, the Island of Miangas, the Governor all of a sudden said that “our future is in the ocean”. At that time the idea was not that clear. Does that have anything to do with the life of the people in the North Sulawesi? Does it anything to do with the economy? Or is it about tourism? Or is it about something else?

At the end of October 2005, about two months after elected as governor, Sarundajang had to attend a working meeting with the ministers. In this meeting President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono asked the governors to search for policies in order to solve the impact of the increase of fuel oil prize in respective areas. This latest prize of fuel oil was effective for five months (the increase was announced in May 2005), and has noticeably affected the economy of the people.

Upon arriving from the working meeting, Sarundajang became more and more fervent in thinking of the ocean and the territory of North Sulawesi. “The future” that was mentioned in the Island of Miangas became more obvious. “The future” has many aspects: it’s about the economy, ecology and tourism. Although this province has many tourist sites, the promotion and facilities that support it is obviously far from adequate. The most obvious evidence is that not many tourists have visited the tourist site in North Sulawesi; way far lesser than the tourists who come to Bali and Lombok. As a result, the tourism in North Sulawesi is not truly an economic strength for this province. So what to do? “Manado must be promoted to the world by inviting the world to visit the area,” said the Governor.

This idea was in the subconscious mind of the Governor Sarundajang and when President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited North Sulawesi, the plan in his head was revealed; the plan to “make the world visit Manado” by conducting a World Ocean Conference (WOC). The participants are all the countries in the world that have sea territory. The Governor knows that as many as 121 countries out of 192 country members of the United Nations have sea in their territory. The President immediately shares the same idea to carry out such an international ocean conference. This event will not only benefit Manado but will also bring something useful for the surrounding areas and Indonesia as a whole.

Talking about the WOC, not many people know what was happening before the revelation of the idea in front of the President. It started merely as a big idea, how about in Manado that has sea territory part of “the triangle of coral reeves” we organize World Ocean Summit. “The triangle of coral reef” is the term for the ocean territory of six Asia-Pacific nations which are 75% of the coral reef of the world. This idea was presented behind closed doors, directly or indirectly, by three key figures to the Governor Sarundajang. The three leading figures are: Joop Ave, former Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunication 1993-1998; Pieter Sondakh, a national entrepreneur of North Sulawesi descent, Sander Batuna, local leading figure of North Sulawesi who has great concern about the development of his soil. Sarundajang strongly supported the idea, but he had to figure out how to make the idea a reality.

Source: Venue Magazine

Sail Bunaken The Biggest Maritime Event in 21 Century

Manado (ANTARA News) - Sail Bunaken is the largest maritime event in 21st century. This big event held in Manado and Bitung, 12-20 August 2009, involving dozens of countries completed with battle ships and sailing vessel.

"This is a good moment to restore the image of Indonesia, because Sail Bunaken - as the biggest maritime event in the world - has been successfully held in Manado," said Aji Sularso, The Directorate General of Supervision and Control of Marine Resources and Fisheries, The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Republic of Indonesia in Manado, Thursday 13 August 2009.

The programs in Sail Bunaken such as Sailing and Flying Pass from various war aircraft and battle ships is an activity that is rarely done in the world.

To get a best credit in this prestigious event, North Sulawesi province needs the local community's support to succeed the event.

According to him, there are two important issues related to the implementation of the Sail Bunaken in North Sulawesi, which is the great potential and resources of the marine biological, that very suitable to be converted to people's economic activity.

"The Indonesian can promote the available potential by inviting investors to invest capital in Indonesia," he said.

Then, the Indonesian people can show the power of defense and maritime security, so that it can not be regarded lightly by any country.

"There are already thousands of foreign participant residing in North Sulawesi, it means that they acknowledge that the event in Indonesia has been recognized internationally," he explained.

source: Antara News

LNG Bontang Sales Contract to Japan Finish in October 2009

Jakarta, Kompas.com - Upstream Oil and Gas Supervisory Agency (BP Migas) to seek LNG Bontang sales contract extension to western buyer, Japan, can be completed in October 2009.

Deputy Operations BP Migas, Eddy Purwanto explains, at this time BP Migas and the parties involved in the selling process are negotiating the Sales Purchase Agreement (SPA).

They are PT Pertamina (Persero) as the appointed seller and Total E&P Indonesie, Chevron, and Vico as the field owner which supply Bontang factory. "We espect that SPA can be completed by the end of October, although we can not be sure. And, this is a technical issue, and usually technical issue is fairly sticky," said Eddy.

According to Eddy, so far there is no change in volume or price for the request of the sales contract extension by the Japanese buyers. "Still in accordance with the HoA," he added.

On 13 February 2009, the Head of BP Migas Raden Priyono went to Osaka, Japan, to witness the signing of HoA of LNG Bontang sales contract extension.

The HoA of LNG Bontang contract sales extension is signed by Pertamina, Total Indonesie, and Inpex Corporation to the six western buyers, Chubu EPC, Kansai EPC, Kyushu EPC, Nippon Steel Co. Ltd., Osaka Gas Co. Ltd., and Toho Gas Co. Ltd..

If the level of HoA up to a sales contract extension, then the sale of LNG will be valid for 10 years beginning in 2011 until 2020.

source: Kompas Bisnis Keuangan

The Land of Minangkabau

The Land of Minangkabau being the Capital of Indonesia’s West Sumatera region, Padang is the home of the gentle and refined Minangkabau people. Their ancients matriarchal culture is the largest of its kind in the world. Here, women are head of the family and the community. West sumatra’s main attraction is Bukittinggi Situated at 3,000 feet above sea level, this delightful town surrounded by volcanoes and green valleys has a pleasant climate and is the culture seat of the Minangkabau people. Other places of interest include Batusangkar, the home of minangkabau Kings, Ngarai Sianok, a spectacular geogolical wonder, lake Singkarak, the largest in west sumatra and a well developed recreation and water sports center and the Rimba Panti Nature Reserve.

The name Minangkabau is thought to be a conjunction of two words, minang ("victorious") and kabau ("buffalo"). There is a legend that the name is derived from a territorial dispute between the Minangkabau and a neighbouring prince. To avoid a battle, the local people proposed a fight to the death between two water buffalo to settle the dispute. The prince agreed and produced the largest, meanest, most aggressive buffalo. The Minangkabau produced a hungry baby buffalo with its small horns ground to be as sharp as knives. Seeing the adult buffalo across the field, the baby ran forward, hoping for milk. The big buffalo saw no threat in the baby buffalo and paid no attention to it, looking around for a worthy opponent. But when the baby thrust his head under the big bull's belly, looking for an udder, the sharpened horns punctured and killed the bull, and the Minangkabau won the contest and the dispute.

http://www.pactoltd.com/

The Mystery of The Stone Sculptures of Bada in Besao Valley

How did they get there? Why were they made? Who made them? It is still a mystery and an exact count of these stone sculptures, which are scattered in the valleys and mountains of central sulawesi, are still unconfirmed. Are theses megalithic finds relics of a pre-historic culture or were they made during the early Hinduistic period? No one knows because their shapes do not conform to anything else found in other parts of the country and are completely strange in shape and carving. Of more than a hundred sculptures, the giant statue at SEPADA called Batu-Palindo is the most prominent. Because of this mystery, central Sulawesi, is the most intriguing place in Indonesia and so little is known about it.

http://www.pactoltd.com/

Mollucas, The Spice Archipelago

Maluku, formerly known as the Moluccas, is not so much a province as an archipelago. It sprawls across 851,000 sq km, of which only one tenth island and consist of over 1,000 islands. Their total population is 1,9 million. The sea in this area is very deep-reaching 4,971 m in the Bacan basin, southeast of Halmahera. The highest mountain is Mt. Binaiya on Seram, at 3,000 m. The largest islandsare Seram, Halmahera and Buru, although the most important economically are Ambon, Tiny Ternate and the Bandas. Recent economic attention has focused upon the expansion of the fishing industry, especially tuna and shellfish and on forestry. Other important crops include the sago palm coffee and coconut.

History

Maluku was important as a source of spices long before the first European discovered the islands. Arab, Chinese, Malay and other seafarers traded here. And indeed the first Europeans had to employ the services of local pilots in Malaka to help them find the fabled Spiceries . The name Maluku is said to derived from the words Jasiratul Jabal Maluk - meaning the Land of many Kings and the islands of Mikiku are mentioned in 7th century Tang Chinese document.

Although the islands are very much at the edge of the Indonesia World, both geographically and economically, it was the spices of Maluku which initially attached the european powers to Asia and to the east isles. They become known as the spice islands, or spiceries. It was only here that clove and nutmeg were cultivated and the early history of southeast Asia was moulded and driven by the fabulous wealth that the spice islands had to offer the adventures explorer.

Now the spice no longer generate they wealth that they once did, Maluku has been forced to find an alternative raison d’etre. Not only are the islands more than 2,000 km from Jakarta, but they are very geographically dispersed: Morotai in the North is over 1,000 km from Tanimbar in the South.

Source: Indonesia Handbook, 3rd by Joshua Eliot, Liz Capaldi, Jane Bickersteth

Mount Semeru

Also called Mahameru or the great Mountain. It is one of the world’s most beautiful peaks and at 3,676 m the highest mountain on Java. The Bromo – Semeru massif covers about 800 sq km, the biggest of all the volcanic regions of east Java. It sits above a sparsely populated region of volcanic highlands, wooded hils and picturesque crater lakes which offer excellent camping and trekking opportunities. Semeru is still active on occasion spewing out hot ash and solidified chunks of lava but usually contenting itself with a huge belch of smoke every 15 minutes. At nights hot lava and dancing red lights shower down the volcano’s steep sides, disappearing in the dark forest below.

Climbing it : Though all the appropriate to Mt Semeru are strenuous and only for the fit the mountian is a far easier climb than Mt Merapi in central Java. The difficulty with semeru is that you have to walk great distances ( 6-7 hours ) from your last possible transport to the base of the cone, and only then you do really start the steep part of the climb up to the summit ( about 4 hours ). Get to the summit no later than 10.00 a.m. because the wind often shifts from S to N and carries with it poisonous sulfur, plus by that time visibility is nil.

http://indonesia-tourism.com/

Mount Bromo

This active 2,392 m-high volcano lies 112 km SE Surabaya. The caldera is like a vast, arid amphitheater measuring 10 km from N to S, enclosed by perpendicular walls 350 m-high. This awesome, 2,200 m-high sand sea has 3 mountains within it: Widodaren ( bride ), Batok ( cup ), and Bromo ( fire ) which are really craters within one huge crater the Bromo - Semeru are massif.

The ideal time to visit is in the dry season ( April – Nov ) when you have a better chance of seeing a blood-red sunrise, in the wet season you might as well sleep late and stroll across the sand sea during the warmer part of the day, after the heavy fog has blown away. The temperature on top of Bromo is around 5 degrees C, in July it could drop to zero, so dress warmly . From Bromo’s peak are stunning views of active Mount Semeru, Java’s highest mountain. Although Bromo can still vent steam and ash, smoke profusely, and occasionally boom from the central crater, lava has not been ejected in historical times.

http://www.pactoltd.com/

The Borobudur Temple

Borobudur, Indonesia’s most famous temples has been described as a ”hill crowned withRows of cones”. What appears to be cones are stuppas and domes arranged in seven rows or level, topped by the great stuppa in the center. Viewed from the air, the temple complex appears as a Huge ’’Mandala’’ the symbol for the complexities of the cosmos.

Borobudur has five square terraces with passages and carved stone relieves winding their way around and up the seven levels. Each level depicts a certain stage of life and describes the story of Buddha’s life on his way to the enlightenment or ”Nirvana”. More than 500 statues of Buddha adorn the temple . Many of the final levels , are encased in the lattice work, bell-shaped stuppas. These levels inspire serenity and peace, regardless, of the visitor’s beliefs. The views of volcano Mt Merapi , distant banana plantations shrouded by morning mist, and expansive lands is captivating. Sunrise is the best time to experience Borobudur. Climbing the edifice in the day time heat can be sweltering.

The The grounds close at 5 pm. Borobudur is estimated to have been built around 800 AD. It was neglected and given over to decay with the fail of the Mataram Kingdom about 919 AD. Buried by volcanic ash , jungle and time, it was rediscovered in the 18th century. It was Sir Stamford Raffles who first made restoration attempts. Large scale restoration began in the early 1900s to safeguard the temple. It was not until a Belgian expert came to Indonesia at the government’s request in 1956 that UNESCO took an interest in the monument. Preparatory work for restoration began in 1963 and UNESCO gave full support to Indonesia’s plea for assistance in 1968.

http://www.pactoltd.com/

The Balim Valley

The valley was discovered by a wealthy American explorer during his botanical and zoological expeditions in 1938 who first reported that this 1,600 m-high valley appeared to be inhabited by a lost civilization. When the cloud cleared, the expeditions members beheld a vast beautifully tended garden of checker-board squares with neat stone fences, clean-cut networks of canals and meticulously )terraced mountain slopes (read of this discovery in the march 1941 issue of national geography).

The grand valley of the baliem received worldwide publicity in 1945 when a sightseeing plane out of wartime Hollandia crashed and its survivors had to be rescued in a daring glider operation. An American nurse in this group called the valley a Shangri-la. The first outsiders to settle here were missionaries landing by a float plane on the Baliem river in 1954. The Dutch established a settlement at Wamena in 1956, bringing in school teachers, new breeds of livestock, modern clothing and metal tools. Wamena continued under their control until Indonesia wrested West New Guinea from Holland in 1962. The grand valley 1s 72 km long by 16-32 km wide. It has magnificent scenery and unlimited tourist potential. It is inhabited by tribes of Neolithic ex-warrior farmers, the Dani’s. The Baliem river runs like a snake through a valley of stony riverbeds, jungle ravines, kampung of Honnai (the round houses), plots of green cultivated fields and stone walls. The Dani are today some of the most skilled and meticulous gardeners in the world.The temperature is mild and the rainfall moderate (though highly variable). If it is raining in the southern part of the valley, it might be sunny in the north or vice versa. September through october is the season of high winds, usually raining in the afternoon. It is frequently cloudy except in the early morning when all surrounding mountains are in clear view.

Source: A fragile nation: the indonesian crisis by Khoon Choy Lee

Parai Marapu The Village of The Dead

Where do people go when they die? To many older people on the island of Sumba, the answer is to Parai Marapu, the village of they dead. In Sumba , the belief is still widely held that the souls of the ancestors who reside in Parai Marapu determine the well-being of those whoa re still alive on earth. Those ancestral souls have the power to protect the living and know what is hidden to ordinary mortals. It is to please and appraise those ancestral souls that people built altars to worship the Marapu and to bring them offerings. Certain places in the house are reserved for them and at certain times animals are slaughtered and offered to them. However, how is it possible for people to interpret their messages? The answer lies in the innards of the animals offered – the liver of a pig or the intestines of a chicken. To communicate with the ancestor’s souls , a Marapu priest performs gratitude’s festivities that refer to the Mawali Tau-Majii Tau (the creator ).

In eastern Sumba, or the urrata in the western part of the island. A spear or a piece of string may be used as the device of communications. If a spear is used the head is thrust in to a selected structure of the house. The priest holds the other end of weapon , he will feel the vibrations of the ancestor’s voice and interpret them. Whatever the truth may be , there can be little doubt that at least for believers the practice of Mawali or Urrata gives the assurance that there is life after death. Some elders in eastern Sumba say the word Marapu simply means the spirit who live on a Higher place of existence and may act as intermediaries between humans and their creator.

Flobamor is East Nusa Tenggara

EAST NUSA TENGGARA is in many ways different from the rest of Indonesia. It is geographically, ethnically and culturally a border area where transition from Asia to Australia and Micronesia takes place. The territory of East Nusa Tenggara comprises 566 islands. The three main islands are flores, Sumba and Timor from which comes the term ’’ Flobamor ” which has been familiar as one of the names of east Nusa Tenggara.

FLORES, a long island located between Sumbawa and Timor , is strewn with volcanoes in a mountain chain dividing it into several regions with distinctive languages and traditions, scenic beauty, good beaches and natural wonders. KOMODO island one among the wonders, a small island of 280 sq km is located between Sumbawa and Flores and is famous for its giant lizards which are considered the last of their kind remaining in the world today, this unique species is called the Komodo Dragon.

SUMBA, formerly known at the Sandalwood island, is known for its horses and Sumba cloth. The island is famous for it’s arts and handicrafts, particularly the textile ikat weaving. The island is roughly oval in shape. The greatest concentration of those who worship spirits ( ancestral and those of the land ) is found in west Sumba where two-thirds of the population hold on to their traditional belief. It is here where incredible rituals take place. Although some exist in East Sumba , it is in West Sumba that one can find a greater number of huge megalithic tombs and traditional thatched and peaked huts raised on stilts. Many traditional activities, all with a part paying homage to the spirits. These include the building of adat houses and burial ceremonies.

http://www.balisuci.com/komodo/

Special Agency to Promote Export

Spread across 7000 island, be strait the equator, Indonesia’s weld people are talented at taping the enormous weld of nature and producing everything from simple handycraft to hi-tech product.

To help Indonesia maximize its potential as a mayor export nation, the government in 1971 created a Specialize Agency to Promote Export, 4 years later this become the National Agency For Export Development or NAFED, a unit of the Ministry of Trade of The Republic of Indonesia.

NAFED services begin with detail market information with sophisticated online media linking producers and buyers. The agency network connect with central, regional and overseas officer and promotion centres. This trade information network provide full information on product and quality as well as detail of exhibition program, market brief and arrange of other information.

Producers who want to enter the export market get help from NAFED direct training program, this range from simple workshop to 3 month intensive courses at national and regional training centres. Close link with mayor industry association provide chanel for information on export potential while sophisticated assistant is provided with branding and promotion.

The Indonesian export training centre is NAFED main traning institute. Its provide both face to face teaching session and TV conferencing with a range of international centre. Producer’s new to exporting are help to joint international trade exhibition with a win first hand experience of market.

At home, the annual Indonesia Trade Expo and Regional Exhibition provided showcases where international buyer can meet directly with Indonesia’s enormous range of exporters. The NAFED virtual exhibition provide internet base access to many successful export product.

At international exhibition, producers are supported by specialist in display, marketing and promotion. Visiting Minister at fairway to publicity and visitors are in trance by attractive display such as indonesia’s well traditional dancer.

Indonesian Trade Promotion Center or ITPC are located in Budhaphest, Dubai, Johannesburg, Los Angeles, Osaka and San Paolo, the leading edge of indonesia export drive. they are assisted by Trade Atase at every Indonesian Embassy.

Currently NAFED is task with assisting in raising Indonesia export in the non-oil and gas sector by 20% each year. the export drive concentrate on a number of product in which Indonesia posseses specific compoted advantage.

Website NAFED

Work On Seaweed

Indonesia should be the largest seaweed producer in the world. However, today is Phillippine.Blessed be Indonesia. With an area of waters of 5.8 million square kilometers and coastline of 50,000 miles long—second longest in the world, Indonesia is a fertile land for seaweed. As we all know, the plant has many benefits including foodstuff, cosmetics and medicine for various diseases. In our waters, there are more than 782 species of seaweed. The mixture of tropical climate, hot temperature and bay with calm and shallow waters has made us rich.

The volume of export of Indonesian seaweed during 2000-2004 has increased by 19.83% with total reserves in 2004 amounted to US$6.2 million. Based on data from the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) in 2004, the volume of exported seaweed reached 50 thousand tons with a value of around US$24.3 million. In addition, exported jelly in 2004 reached 3 thousand tons which valued to US$6.2 million; and exported alginate reached 6.2 kilograms which valued around US$14 thousand. These are large sources of revenues for state as well as great fortune for farmers and coastal people.

Indonesia has been late enough to realize the importance of seaweed as the source of state reserves. Studies, researches and information on the plant have only been revealed in the last few years. As a result, industrial sectors as well as investors have not yet penetrated into the Indonesian regions. according to Prof Dr Jana Anggadiredja, MS., Deputy Head of the Division of Natural Resources Technology Development at the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT). “In fact, around 20 of our provinces have the potentials of producing seaweed. And it is not entirely. However, as regards the products, we are far behind Philippines. We have only produced 15 products while Philippines’s are more than 150,’ said Jana, also Chairman of Indonesian Seaweed Community. Today, the value of export of Philippines’ seaweed has reached US$700 million per year.

In addition to the low production, the quality of many Indonesian seaweed raw materials and products are under the standards of industrial quality, locally or internationally. Muhammad Misbakhun, Commissioner of PT Argo Lestari Makmur Sejahtera (ALMS), said that this occurred because farmers used to harvesting the plant before its normal yielding time comes. This has indirectly ruined Indonesian seaweed market. “The normal period should be 45 days. But it has already been harvested when it is only 30 days old. It has resulted in its poor quality. There is the market out there. However, we have bad name on regional and national levels,’ said Misbakhum.

This happens because the farmers are usually in need of fast money. Urged by the high market demand, they did not care with the quality.

Currently, the average income of seaweed farmers are amount to between Rp1.5 million and Rp2 million per harvesting time (1.5 months). Each hectare of seaweed pond averagely yields one ton of dry seaweed that can be sold with the price of Rp3,500 per kilogram.

During the last three years, PT ALMS is still the sole exporter in Italy and half of Eastern European area. The need of export to the countries is still high. “I, with my 200 workers of mine, can only produce 15 tons a month. In fact, demands are high and we could do it,” said Misbakhun.

In 2006, Philippines produced 100,000 tons of seaweed of euchema kind. Indonesian’s were only around 86,000 tons. However, Philippines is no longer able to explore it by virtue of the lack of land. Meanwhile, there are still many landplots in Indonesia which are not yet cultivated maximally. With the development of world’s jelly need that increases by 10-15 percent per year, it will surely be the chance for us.

The business is still promising. If the story goes like this, it is not only seaweed that becomes business potential, tourism around the cultivation site and the seaweed factory can also hit a profit.

source:

http://www.venuemagz.com/