Indonesia Roundup: Government debt, inauguration of explosives factory, leopard survey

Government debt

Indonesia's government's debt, which makes up 38.75% of the GDP, is at Rp 8,253.09 trillion ($528 billion) as of January 2024, a 1.33% increase from December 2023. According to the Jakarta Globe, the debt structure consists of government bonds (SBN) and loans amounting to Rp 975.06 trillion (approximately $62.19 billion). Indonesia’s Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said that the government's disciplined approach to debt management contributes to maintaining the country's sovereign ratings at investment grade. "The government consistently manages debt carefully and prudently, mitigating risks related to interest rates, currency, liquidity, and optimal maturity," the minister told reporters.

Inauguration of explosives factory

Indonesian President Joko Widodo is set to inaugurate an explosives factory on February 29 in Bontang City, on the eastern coast of the island of Borneo in the East Kalimantan province in Indonesia, with a production capacity of around 75,000 tons of explosives annually. The factory is expected to support mining activities in East Kalimantan province and to help the Southeast Asian nation make the most of its resources of ammonium nitrate in various sectors to reduce the volume of imports and achieve energy self-sufficiency, state news agency Antara reports.

Survey to track Javan leopards

The Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry and the Save Indonesian Nature & Threatened Species (SINTAS) Foundation have begun a population survey of the Javan leopard on Java Island to determine its exact number and provide valid data on its population. According to the Director General of the Indonesian Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation of the ministry, Satyawan Pudyatmoko the collected data will be used to update the Javan Leopard Conservation Strategy and Action Plan document. He is quoted by Antara to have said "The basic data (gathered from the survey) is very important for developing the conservation program." The Javan leopard is an endemic species on Java Island and is threatened with extinction.

Importation of 1.6 million tonnes of rice

The National Food Agency (Bapanas) has announced that the government of the Southeast Asian country plans to import an additional 1.6 million tons of rice to fill its rice reserves. "This 1.6 (million tons) is being prepared. The president asked that there be a minimum of 1.2 (million tons) in stock at Bulog, while actually, he wanted it to be three million tons," Bapanas Head Arief Prasetyo Adi is quoted by the Indonesian state news agency. According to the official, the government has an import quota of two million tons for the rice reserve stock, but the realization of imported rice has only reached 500 thousand tons. As the country waits for the main harvest season to begin, President Joko Widodo of Indonesia issued an order requiring a minimum stock of 1.2 million and 3 million tonnes of reserve rice stock, the state agency reports

Free lunch programme

Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, has announced that the government’s free lunch programme will cost Rp15,000 (US$0.96) per beneficiary. The programme which aims to cover over 80 million beneficiaries by 2029 was proposed by Indonesian president-elect and vice president-elect, Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka in their vision and mission programme. It aims to address stunting and will target students and also provide nutritional assistance to pregnant women and toddlers, state agency Antara reported.