Latest News: Page 48

Palm Oil, Cocoa Exporters See Fortune in Strengthening US Dollar

05

Oct

Palm Oil, Cocoa Exporters See Fortune in Strengthening US Dollar

Andi Nuhung, Executive Director of Indonesian Palm Oil Board (DMSI) said, in the last few days, the price of Fresh Fruit Bunch (FFB) at farmer level [...]

Palm Oil, Cocoa Exporters See Fortune in Strengthening US Dollar. Andi Nuhung, Executive Director of Indonesian Palm Oil Board (DMSI) said, in the last few days, the price of Fresh Fruit Bunch (FFB) at farmer level has been boosted to Rp 2,000 per kilogram (kg) from the previous range of Rp 1,500-Rp 1,700 per kg. According to him, the price increase was contributed by the weakening rupiah against the US dollar.
 
`The price in the world market is in the range of US$ 600-US$ 750 per ton. However, because of the strengthening dollar, once converted to rupiah, farmers and exporters will receive a higher price. With that, farmers should receive more rupiah with this strengthening,` Iskandar told KONTAN, Wednesday (4/10).
 
According to Iskandar, with the price increase at the farmer level, it will also positively impact the production of palm oil. The reason is, with the price increase, farmers will be encouraged to perform better maintenance of their palm oil trees.
 
General Chairman of Indonesia Cacao Association (Askindo) Zulhelfi Sikumbang said the same thing. He said the strengthening of the US dollar also influenced the increase in the farmer-level price of cacao.
 
According to him, at present, the farmer-level price of cacao has increased to Rp 28,000 per kg from the previous Rp 20,000 per kg. `The strengthening dollar makes farmers receive a higher cacao price in rupiah, because the cacao price is based on the dollar price. For exporters, it will also be beneficial. In general, this will increase the farmers' income,` explained Zulhelfi.
 
However, the Deputy Chairman of Indonesia Coffee Exporters Association (AEKI) considered the strengthening dollar has not had a significant impact on the increase in coffee price. The reason is, coffee price is more influenced by supply and demand. `The strengthening dollar does not affect the coffee price because the coffee price is based on the supply and demand, although in the recent times it was influenced by the

SUGAR AUCTION SYSTEM: These Are the Rules for Business Actors

28

Sep

SUGAR AUCTION SYSTEM: These Are the Rules for Business Actors

Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Regulatory Agency [Bappebti] Bachrul Chairi said that industries that have contracts do not need to follow [...]

SUGAR AUCTION SYSTEM: These Are the Rules for Business Actors. Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Regulatory Agency [Bappebti] Bachrul Chairi said that industries that have contracts do not need to follow the auction process. They are only required to report to the auction system.
“We are only asking large industries that already have contracts to report,” he said when contacted by Bisnis, Wednesday (27/9/2017).
Bachrul explained that the government wants transparency in the use of refined sugar. Thus, a more accurate national sugar balance sheet data can be compiled in the future.
At present, the government requires a third party as auction organizer to assist in the data collection process for the distribution of refined sugar. This is due to the government’s budget constraint.
In the meantime, Chairman of the National Sugar Transparency Forum Supriyanto Sardjowikarto said that SMEs do not have a problem accessing refined sugar. Usually, the entrepreneurs order the raw materials collectively through a cooperative.
“Now the price that we pay includes tax and transportation costs, but with an auction, the costs will increase because the aforementioned costs are not included,” he explained.
 
Source: http://industri.bisnis.com

PTPN Holding Appoints Dolly Pulungan As PTPN VII President Director

28

Sep

PTPN Holding Appoints Dolly Pulungan As PTPN VII President Director

In an official statement received by Bisnis on Thursday morning (9/28/2017), PTPN Holding said it was restructuring the board of directors of PTPN [...]

PTPN Holding Appoints Dolly Pulungan As PTPN VII President Director. In an official statement received by Bisnis on Thursday morning (9/28/2017), PTPN Holding said it was restructuring the board of directors of PTPN VII.
`This change is in line with the company's transformation program that is committed to continuing to develop human resources. The goal is to improve business performance,` said Dasuki Amir, President Director of Plantation State-Owned Enterprise PTPN III.
According to him, the restructuring of the board of directors was also carried out to achieve the targets of PTPN Holding in accordance with the 2017 RKAP. Dasuki also said that the state-owned plantation sector company was committed to showing positive performance.
In addition to appointing Dolly Pulungan as President Director of PTPN VII, the board of directors also appointed Muhammad Hanugroho, who previously served as Commercial Director of PTPN X, to be Commercial Director of PTPN VII, replacing Ganefi.
Also present at the handover ceremony were President Director of Plantation State-Owned Enterprise PTPN III (Persero) Dasuki Amsir, together with the President Commissioner of Plantation State-Owned Enterprise PTPN III (Persero) and PTPN VII, as well as members of the Board of Commissioners of PTPN VII and the board of directors of Plantation State-Owned Enterprise PTPN III (Persero).
Dolly Pulungan previously served as President Director of PT Garam. Dolly has a good reputation for fixing state-owned businesses that are in difficult conditions. Previously, Dolly Pulungan was Finance Director of PTPN X, President Director of PTPN XI, and now President Director of PT Berdikari. His last position was as President Director of PT Garam.
Last week, Plantation State-Owned Enterprise together with the Ministry of SOEs also changed the positions of seven commissioners at PTPN IV, PTPN V, PTPN XI, and PTPN XII.
The new commissioners appointed are as follows: Suwhono as President Commissioner of PTPN IV; Ageng Purboyo Angrenggono as member of the Board of Commissioners of PTPN V; Karyanto Suprih as Commissioner of PTPN XI; Dedi Mawardi as President Commissioner of PTPN XI; HJG Winachyu as Independent Commissioner of PTPN XI; Tjahya Widayanti as Commissioner of PTPN XII; Tri Siswanto as Independent Commissioner of PTPN XII.
Plantation State-Owned Enterprise is the parent company of PTPN I to PTPN XIV, which was established under Government Regulation No. 72/2014. 90% of the shares of PTPN I to PTPN XIV are owned by Plantation State-Owned Enterprise and the remaining 10% are owned by the government.
Plantation State-Owned Enterprise has a business scope consisting of plant cultivation, production, trade, business development in the plantation sector, Agrotourism, Agribusiness, Agroindustry, Agroforestry, and other businesses with total assets of around Rp113 trillion as of April 2017.
The commodities managed on 1.18 million hectares of land are palm oil, rubber, sugar, tea, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, various types of wood, fruits, and various other plants.
Sources: www.industri.bisnis.com & www.sawitindonesia.com

Palm oil producers ready to export 8 million tons of CPO to Europe

27

Sep

Palm oil producers ready to export 8 million tons of CPO to Europe

The Secretary-General of GAPKI (Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association), Togar Sitanggang, stated that although the average European demand for [...]

Palm oil producers ready to export 8 million tons of CPO to Europe. The Secretary-General of GAPKI (Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association), Togar Sitanggang, stated that although the average European demand for palm oil stands at 6 million tons up to the year 2020, he is optimistic that Indonesia would be able to supply 8 million tons if demanded by Europe. “And we are ready to supply not only 6 million tons, but 8 million tons of sustainable palm oil to the European market,” Togar said on Monday (25/9).

At this point, said Togar, the European Union is the second largest market for palm oil after India. Based on data from GAPKI in 2016, palm oil sales to the European Union reached 6.6 million tons. The largest palm oil market in the world is India, at 10.25 million tons. Meanwhile, China ranks third at 5.15 million tons.

Source: Kontan

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Monday, 25 September 2017
Apkasindo Conducts Positive Palm Oil Campaign in France
 
JAKARTA, SAWIT INDONESIA – The Indonesian Oil Palm Farmers Association (APKASINDO) reported three important indicators for palm oil’s contributions to Indonesia. These three indicators include economic growth, rural development, and poverty reduction.
 
This information was conveyed by APKASINDO’s Deputy Secretary-General, Rino Afrino, to participants in the Palm Oil Sustainability Talk Forum at the Paris Pavillon Dauphine in France on Saturday (23/09/2017).
 
Rino explained that it is undeniable that palm oil has a large impact on Indonesian society, especially palm oil farmers. Indonesia’s advantages are its tropical climate and high levels of rainfall. This is proven by the sharp increase in Indonesia’s palm oil production, from just 720 thousand tons of CPO in the 1980s to 32 million tons in 2016.

Bulog to Immediately Buy Sugar from East Java Farmers

26

Sep

Bulog to Immediately Buy Sugar from East Java Farmers

Director of Logistics at Perum Bulog, Tri Wahyudi Saleh, stated that the absorption of 25,000 tons is based on the amount of sugar available at the [...]

Bulog to Immediately Buy Sugar from East Java Farmers. Director of Logistics at Perum Bulog, Tri Wahyudi Saleh, stated that the absorption of 25,000 tons is based on the amount of sugar available at the storage facility. This number is likely to grow. Bulog is also waiting for information from APTRI regarding the amount of sugar available in storage facilities in West Java, Central Java, and South Sulawesi for absorption. `These are merely contracts and we are still waiting to see the quality check results,` he said on Monday (September 25). Finance Director at Perum Bulog, Iryanto Hutagaol, stated that the logistics agency would absorb around 1.20-1.40 million tons of sugar from farmers and PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) by the end of the year. This absorption will increase the stock of granulated sugar in Bulog storage facilities by 400,000 tons. Based on the results of a limited coordination meeting regarding sugar policy on August 15, 2017, Bulog was tasked with absorbing sugar from farmers and state-owned sugar factories which meet the Indonesian National Standard at a price of IDR9,700/kg without value added tax. The meeting also ruled that bulk sugar sales could only be conducted by Bulog. Meanwhile, APTRI hopes that the absorption of farmers' sugar by Perum Bulog could start this week. This hope was raised following a sugar quality test by PT Sucofindo, which is scheduled to be completed this week. Treasurer at APTRI, Sunardi Edi Sukamto, explained that the absorption amount is based on the amount of sugar available in storage. Based on the data received by APTRI, there are 37,000 tons of sugar from farmers at PTPN XI. `In total, there are around 300,000 tons of sugar from farmers. However, the absorption will follow proposals from each PTPN location or [PT] RNI [Rajawali Nusantara Indonesia] based on the amount of sugar ready in their storage facilities,` he said. Farmers must wait for the sugar quality test results within 5 days after the samples were taken. They have been informed that the sugar quality test by Sucofindo will be completed this week. Bulog will start absorbing sugar from farmers after that. `There are SNI requirements for ICUMSA, namely within a range of 80-120 and 120-300. If it is higher than that, Bulog will not purchase it,` he added. The International Commission for Uniform Methods of Sugar Analysis (ICUMSA) is an organization formed to establish methods of sugar quality analysis with over 30 countries as members. With regard to sugar color, ICUMSA has ranked the color quality of sugar. LAND PURCHASE In the meantime, PTPN XI invested IDR116 billion to purchase sugarcane land as one of its efforts to boost its own sugar cane production in line with the increased production capacity of its sugar factories in Lumajang and Situbondo in East Java. CEO of PTPN XI, M. Cholidi, stated that in purchasing land in the Situbondo area bordering Baluran National Park, the company collaborated with Bank Muamalat to finance the land purchase. `Out of the total investment, IDR25 billion is from our internal funds and the remaining amount is financed by Bank Muamalat,` he said in Surabaya on Monday (September 25). He explained that the total acquired land measures 267 hectares. The land which was previously planted with kapok trees was chosen because it was assessed as having potential for sugarcane cultivation. In addition, there is a dam or the Bajulmati reservoir in front of the area which could be used for an irrigation system. Cholidi added that the recent land purchase is very special because the company has not acquired any land in a long time. In fact, the sugarcane land keeps decreasing every year. `We have rarely purchased new land since we started working here. Currently, the land is ready and there is a parallel irrigation channel.` The total area for sugarcane cultivation is 8,500 hectares plus an additional 367 hectares. However, the company owns a total of 10,000 hectares, with 1,500 hectares used for seed development and other purposes. The total area cultivated with sugarcane, both the company's and the farmers', amounts to 471,000 hectares. Cholidi explained that the production of sugarcane needs to be boosted by increasing the cultivation area because next year the Assembagoes and Djatiroto sugar factories (PG) will need a lot of sugarcane raw material for processing following the completion of the capacity upgrade or enhancement. The two factories are those that received support for revitalization with state capital participation amounting to IDR650 billion, with PG Djatiroto receiving IDR400 billion and PG Assembagoes receiving IDR250 billion. The Assembagoes sugar processing capacity was increased from 3,000 tons of sugarcane per day to 6,000 tons per day and PG Djatiroto's capacity was increased from 7,500 tons per day to 10,000 tons per day. With the increased processing capacity, the two factories are estimated to be able to generate excess energy from the boiler and turbine generators. `Each PG will generate 10 MW of excess power or electricity. So, the 20 MW of excess power is ready to be sold to PLN Jatim,` Cholidi said. (B) Source: http://kalimantan.bisnis.com -------------------------------------------- September 24, 2017 Reasons for Increasing Granulated Sugar Production JAKARTA - The government has set a provisional sugar production target for 2017 at 2.38 million tons, an increase from the 2016 production of 2.2 million tons. Director of Seasonal Crops and Spices at the Ministry of Agriculture's Plantation Directorate General, Agus Wahyudi, explained that the sugar forecasting meeting held in Bogor in mid-September has set the predicted sugar production for this year at 2.38 million tons - 2.4 million tons. The government hopes that granulated sugar production could reach 2.4 million tons in line with the supportive weather. `The milling process has not ended yet. The last milling process might occur in December. Hopefully, we could reach 2.4 million tons. The weather is currently good,` he said while in Southeast Sulawesi when contacted by Bisnis on Friday (September 22). The sugar forecasting meeting was attended by granulated sugar producers with estate bases, academics from the Bogor Agricultural Institute, representatives from the Ministry of Industry, and representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture. The meeting recorded the development of sugar production data and calculated the estimated production until the end of the year. This number will be used for consideration in the import policies for the following year. According to him, the increased sugar production this year is supported by the improved weather which led to increased production. Unlike 2016 when it rained almost all year long, resulting in decreased production. Although production has increased compared to last year, it still does not meet the national granulated sugar consumption of 2.8 million tons per year. Therefore, there is still a deficit of 400,000 - 500,000 tons of granulated sugar. `Yes, there is a deficit. We only provide data for the Minister of Trade. This number will be used for consideration in import policies for next year. The prognosis for 2018 is currently being worked on,` he said. Lecturer at the Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB) who participated in the granulated sugar forecasting, Purwono, explained that the granulated sugar production until the end of the year has the potential to be less than 2.38 million tons because the production until September only reached 1.9 - 2 million tons. According to him, the government should hold a limited coordination meeting regarding the import policy for raw sugar to be processed into granulated sugar to cover the deficit of granulated sugar. `This number should be used to calculate the balance. The margin of error is around 2%-3%,` he said after participating in the National Corn Conference in Jakarta on Wednesday (September 20). Agus added that the Ministry of Agriculture is currently gathering data on the need for ratoon stripping based on reports from regions. The Ministry of Agriculture plans to expand the sugarcane planting area by a total of 15,000 hectares. `That is still the total. We are still waiting for reports from all regions. We will later see what the numbers for ratoon stripping and expansion are. It is not complete yet,` he said. Source: www.industri.bisnis.com --------------------------------------- June 7, 2017 Government Targets Sugar Production to Reach 5 Million Tons in 2019 Bisnis.com, MALANG - The government targets the domestic sugar production to reach 5 million tons in 2019 with a program for revitalizing sugar factories (PG) and the addition of new PG. Minister of SOEs, Rini Soemarno, stated that the current national sugar requirement is around 6 million tons/year, with 3 million tons for consumption and 3 million tons for the food and beverage industry. `Meanwhile, the existing national sugar production still only reaches 2.5 million-2.8 million tons/year. So, it is still a long way off,` she said on the sidelines of the `Ramadan Package` assistance handover during the `SOEs Present for the Nation` activity in the Wonosari tea plantation, Lawang District, Malang Regency, East Java, Tuesday (June 6, 2017).

Deal! Indonesia Must Remain the World's Largest Palm Oil Producer

11

Sep

Deal! Indonesia Must Remain the World's Largest Palm Oil Producer

”The strengthening of Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) is a real commitment from government and business in Indonesia to build a [...]

Deal! Indonesia Must Remain the World's Largest Palm Oil Producer. ”The strengthening of Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) is a real commitment from government and business in Indonesia to build a sustainable palm oil plantation sector,” said Deputy of Food and Agriculture Ministry of Economy Musdalifah Mahmud in her speech at an international forum initiated by UNDP in the United Nations (UN) Headquarters, New York, United States recently.
 
The points to be achieved in the world forum attended by around 300 delegates from various countries, namely how the world can balance production needs while maintaining environmental sustainability. Apart from Musdalifah, the General Chairman of the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI) Joko Supriyono also spoke at the forum.
 
Musdalifah hopes that in the middle of next year, the points related to the strengthening of ISPO can be fulfilled. According to her, strengthening ISPO is a momentum to improve the sustainability standards of the Indonesian palm oil sector to a level that can be accepted by the world.
 
Meanwhile, Joko Supriyono emphasized that the business world in Indonesia is committed to achieving environmentally friendly palm oil plantation management.
 
Currently, the business world and the government are working side by side on how to increase the productivity of oil palm plants, especially for farmers (small holders). ”Instead of expanding land, we focus on efforts to increase plant productivity,” said Joko.
 
Joko said, amidst the demands of sustainability, Indonesia must still maintain its position as the largest palm oil producer in the world.

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