East Java Tourism News

News Focus: People lamenting soaring soybean price

By Bambang Purwanto

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - People in Indonesia today can hardly find fermented soybean cake, locally known as tempe, in the markets as the price of soybean, the main ingredient in the traditional food, has increased to an unprecedented level.

Tempe is a food popular mainly among the common or low-income people who usually have it as a side-dish in rice-based meals.

The soybean price has risen to a level where tempe producers who mostly belong to the small or micro enterprises group can no longer afford to buy it. As a result, tempe has disappeared from the markets.

Many tempe producers have protested the increase in the soybean price because it has disrupted their business to the extent of compelling them to lay off workers or even to go bankrupt.

Besides tempe producers, other businesses offering soybean-based products like soybean milk are also suffering by the soybean scarcity in the market.

Due to the scarcity of soybean in the market, a number of tempe producers in Sidoarjo, East Java, resorted to increasing the price of their product by up to 50 percent.

The chairman of the Candi Tofu-Tempe Cooperative in Sidoarjo, Sukari, said because of the soaring price of imported soybean, tempe producers were forced to raise their tempe price or to reduce the size of their soybean cakes.

As raw material for tempe and tofu, Sukari said, tempe producers in Sidoarjo used soybean imported from Argentina and the United States which is now scarce in the market.

Small-scale companies producing tofu, tempe and soybean milk in Bengkulu are even on the verge of bankruptcy due to the 100-percent hike in the soybean price from Rp3,500/kg to Rp8,000/Kg.

A tempe-tofu producer in Bengkulu, H Sukiman Ali, said the volume of his tempe-tofu production was continuing to drop from day to day due to the soybean price spiral.

“We used to produce 600 kg of tempe-tofu per day but now our production has been reduced to 400 kg daily,” he said.

Thus, if the soybean price continued to rise, most tofu-tempe producers, especially the small-scale ones, in Bengkulu would collapse, Sukiman said, adding that he had even laid off a number of his workers.

Tempe and tofu are also scarce in Jakarta, especially following the recent strike by producers of the fermented foods. Many of them have stopped selling tempe and tofu and switched their business to selling other commodities including vegetables.

Tempe and tofu have disappeared from the Kebayoran Lama market in South Jakarta while the products were previously abundant as they could be found in every corner of the market.

Due to the soaring soybean price, as many as 3,000 tofu-tempe producers in Jakarta recently went on strike for three days and held a rally in front of the presidential palace.

On the occasion, the chairman of the Cooperative Forum for Jakarta Tofu-Tempe Producers, Sukaryo, called on the government to heed the fate of tofu-tempe producers who were suffering by the increasing soybean price.

The same problem is being experienced by people and tempe-tofu producers in other areas in Indonesia, including in the West Java town of Bogor, in Lampung, Manado in North Sulawesi and Medan, North Sumatra.

What needs to be done

Speaking about efforts to overcome the soybean crisis, a member of the Central Java Provincial Legislative Council, Bambang Raharjo, said an imprtant thing to do was to encourage farmers to grow soybean on wider plots of land.

“We are perplexed that Indonesia with its vast land territory fails to meet its need for soybean every year and thus has to import the commodity at a price which has now increased by 100 percent,” Bambang said.

“We need the government to be committed to strengthening the country`s food resilience based on our own potentials, not on imports,” he said.

He said Indonesia was producing only 800,000 tons of soybean per year compared to its need for 1.3 million per year so that it had to cover the gap with imports.

It was reported that following the soybean price increase from US$300 to US$600 per ton, the government was planning to scrap the duty on soybean imports.

The regulation providing for the import duty exemption was expected to be signed on January 21,2008.

The measure was expected to cause the soybean price to drop to Rp5,987/kg at the importer`s level and to Rp6,000/kg at the consumer`s level.

“The government`s measure to lower soybean import duty to zero percent from the present 10 percent is a very pragmatic policy,” a member of the Central Java Provincial Legislative Council, Fatria Rahmadi, said recently.

“In the short term, the measure can indeed reduce the soybean price but it will have a negative effect in the long term. The government seems to be at a loss what to do and so it takes a short cut,” Fatria said.

Of 92,000 industries using soybean as raw material in Indonesia, 39 percent operate in Central Java, 22 percent in East Java, 13 percent in West Java, 8.5 percent in Yogyakarta and the rest in Kalimantan and Sumatra.

Fatria said the measure was taken due to the government`s inadequate attention to farmers and small-scale industries.

The government should actually be able to predict and anticipate the hike in the soybean price through efforts to increase soybean production in the country, Fartia said.

In addition, the government should also protect farmers using the price stabilizing instrument in the post harvest time besides applying a sound and fair trading system, Fatria said.(*)
Source: ANTARA News

Add comment January 22nd, 2008

Yogya design center gets UK, U.S. assistance

Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Bantul, Yogyakarta

A favorite tourist destination second to Bali and home to thousands of handicraft industries, Yogyakarta, has announced plans to build a design center to help improve competitiveness of Indonesian handicraft products on the international market.

Warwick Purser, owner and president director of PT Out Asia, a major exporter of handicraft products in Bantul, gained support from the provincial administration and several international institutions with his proposal to build the center in Tembi hamlet, Bantul regency.

The center would be supported by an Indonesian competitiveness program called SENADA, run by international institutions including USAID, The British Council and Goldsmiths University of London.

As an initial step, a four-day workshop on sustainable design for home furnishing products is being organized in Tembi with more than 50 leading Indonesian homewares entrepreneurs from Java and Bali.

The workshop officially opened Wednesday and featured seven design experts from a leading design education institution, Goldsmiths, to share knowledge and help establish the center.

Following the workshop, a two-day working session focused on the establishment of the design center and its future activities would be held at the same location, involving locals and other stakeholders.

“We expect to be able to launch the center mid-this-year at the latest,” Australian-come-Indonesian Warwick Purser told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the workshop Wednesday.

The establishment of such a center, Purser said, was urgently needed to strengthen Indonesia’s competitiveness in the international market.

Design, he added, was an essential factor in the successful marketing of handicraft products.

SENADA’s senior industry advisor, Patrick Kadian, said design was a crucial, dynamic factor in the market acceptance of home furnishings, with style cycles lasting 18 months on average.

“Results of many market surveys conducted by SENADA, have indicated that Indonesia was considered less competitive in terms of designs, when compared to its Asian rivals like China, Thailand, Vietnam, and particularly the Philippines,” Kadian said.

Indonesia, Kadian said, in fact had a strong presence in the international marketplace with its renowned craftsmanship of products made from materials desirable to eco-consumers.

“Proper positioning of Indonesia as a producer of sustainable products, combined with the improvement of practices of leading firms and credible third party certification will make all the difference for Indonesia among the international competition,” he said.

Source: The Jakarta Post

Add comment January 21st, 2008

Pemanasan Jelang Imlek

SURABAYA - Tahun Baru Imlek 2559 memang baru dirayakan pada 7 Februari. Namun, beberapa kawasan kota metropolis sudah berhias warna merah sebagai lambang kemakmuran. Berbagai tempat umum juga mulai mempersiapkan penyambutan tahun tikus tersebut.

Angpau, lanjut dia, adalah barang yang kali pertama dibeli. Tradisi Tiongkok untuk berbagi rezeki menjelang perayaan Imlek selalu dipegangnya. Bunga uang dan lilin untuk sembahyang juga dibelinya. (uji/nw)

Source: Jawa Pos Online

Add comment January 21st, 2008

Animation festival debuts in Jakarta

Animation enthusiasts will have something to smile about from Jan. 14 to 20 with a series of screenings, seminars and workshops dedicated to the art being held daily at Taman Ismail in Central Jakarta as part of the Urbanimation festival.

Urbanimation, which was organized by several of Indonesia’s animation communities and the Jakarta Arts Council, is being held this year for the first time.

Hendra, who attended a seminar on productive animation making Tuesday, said he was pleased with the session as it gave him a new perspective on the animation world.

“Animation is a complex subject, from the conceptual to the production stages. The seminar went through this process. I think the organizing committee should hold similar seminars in the future,” said Hendra, who lives in Cengkareng, West Jakarta.

Each day Urbanimation features a series of screenings, including advertising material, short and independent animated films and school projects. Animation screenings are held at Teater Kecil and Kineforum, which are located within the Taman Ismail complex.

Despite the fact all Urbanimation activities are free of charge, organizers were disappointed with low attendance levels Tuesday.

The event’s public relations manager, Nataya Aryandi, said some 1,000 visitors were expected to attend Urbanimation. However, on Tuesday only about 20 people attended the seminar, with the exhibition hall empty for most of the day.

Nataya said the organizing committee would be happy enough to attract 100 visitors per day.

“The event didn’t attract many visitors today, maybe because they work during the week. However, I’m sure there will be more visitors on the weekend,” she said.

Nataya said Urbanimation was aimed at college students and people who worked in the animation sector. She said the committee wanted people to realize that animation is not just for children but also for adults.

“Animation has become part of daily life and the urban lifestyle. It is no longer just for children,” she said.

She said she hoped the animation sector would develop into a solid industry, much like the media, film and music industries.

She said most people working in the animation sector did not know each other.

“Urbanimation will allow people working in the animation sector to get to know each other,” she said.

As part of the festival, the committee also organized an animation competition, with more than 100 entries submitted. Artists submitted entries from various cities around the country, including Cirebon in West Java, Yogyakarta, Semarang in Central Java, Malang in East Java and Jambi in Sumatra.

“This is a good thing because it is the first time we have held the event. However, we expected more people to attend, as there are around 150 animation communities in the country,” Nataya said.

The festival will end with a cosplay (costume party), in which visitors can wear an outfit based on an a cartoon character or their own ideas. (tif)

Source: The Jakarta Post

Add comment January 18th, 2008

INDONESIA: East Java mudflow held in check by dikes - but for how long?

SURABAYA, 16 January 2008 (IRIN) - It is fair to say the Sidoargjo mudflow in East Java Province, Indonesia, qualifies as a truly unique disaster, even in a country that is considered by many experts the most disaster-prone in the world, what with its frequent earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and landslides.

According to Sucahyono, an engineer with the Sidoargjo Mudflow Mitigation Agency, a government entity, the mudflow has now inundated some 650 hectares of land formerly replete with fish farms, sugar plantations, rice paddies and factories.

While there is no current estimate of total damage, a November 2006 government assessment reported that 1,810 houses, 18 schools, two government offices, 20 factories and 15 mosques had been engulfed by the mud.

Unlike most other disasters which usually end reasonably quickly, the Sidoargjo mudflow, which is in an area some 30km south of Surabaya City, the capital of East Java Province, just keeps on spouting.

The mud volcano, as some scientists are defining it, has been spewing out as much as 125,000 cubic metres per day for more than a year and a half now, according to the Sidoarjo Mudflow Mitigation Agency. “Some experts are telling us it could continue emitting mud for the next 30 years,” said Sucahyono, although he is sceptical that anyone knows for sure. 

Conflicting views on the cause

The mud began to flow on 29 May 2006, only two days after a major earthquake occurred in Yogyakarta. Many experts speculated that the earthquake triggered the muddy eruption. But the fact that the hot mud started spewing out only 200 metres from a gas drilling operation of the PT Lapindo Brantas company led others, including angry local residents, to surmise that the drilling operation struck mud - vast reserves of it - not gas.

The dispute over who or what is to blame for the disaster – and whether it is a technological disaster (like Bhopal) or a natural disaster will keep lawyers and observers busy for years.

Since the initial eruption in 2006, a total of 13,000 families, (some 50,000 people) have been relocated, Sofyan Hadi, deputy head of operations for the Sidoarjo Mudflow Mitigation Agency, told IRIN.

A home submerged

Mueslinah, a 37-year-old mother of four, was one of those who had to flee the mud in 2006. “I was born and lived my entire life in Sereng town [in Sidoargjo District],” she told IRIN as we stood on a nine meter levée built to contain the mud, with dozens of trucks arriving with dirt to build it higher. “My husband was a farmer,” she said, “and I had an ice-making company… We were only able to salvage a few possessions before our house and land became submerged in the mud,” Mueslinah said.

“We lived for five months as IDPs [internally displaced persons] in a tent complex,” she said. “The Lapinto Brantas company paid for it.” Her family has also received 20 percent compensation - 54 million rupiah - from the company for the loss of their home.

According to Sucahyono of the Mitigation Agency, most displaced families have now received the 20 percent compensation for their losses. He told IRIN that full compensation should be paid to most families by May 2009. 

Disaster tourism

Most of the displaced families have found it difficult to establish new livelihoods. “I have to find my own money and it’s hard,” Mueslinah told IRIN. She, like some others who were displaced, is currently in the disaster tourism business. They charge a fee for visitors to the site, and there appear to be many; and 50,000 rupiah for a CD that chronicles the various stages of the continuing mudflow disaster. It could be a growth industry for sometime to come.

The government has allocated 500 billion rupiah (US$55 million) from the 2007 national budget for the agency to manage the mudflow and its impact on the community. This includes repairing railway lines, roads and electricity facilities. It has also provided 10 billion rupiah ($1.1 million) for living allowances to some 10,000 families for community development activities and public facilities. 

Dikes

A major component of managing the mudflow has been the building of huge earthen dikes - some as high as 18 metres - to contain the mud and keep it from flowing into other communities. But ultimately, the agency’s plan is to drain much of the mud down a nearby river, the Porong. According to Sucahyono, thus far they have had only limited success.

The seasonal floods have caused the dikes to be breached and nearby communities, highways and railway lines have been submerged - with the latest incident on 4 January.

“We are worried about the dikes holding,” said Sucahyono, noting that the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency of East Java is forecasting additional heavy rains at the end of January until the beginning of February.

Land subsidence

Land subsidence is an additional problem. Due to the weight of the mud and flooding, the land has been sinking, with one recent government estimate putting the subsidence rate at 6 centimetres per day. The subsidence is diverting the mud in the wrong direction, weakening the dikes even more, said Sucahyono. A further challenge, he said, is pumping the mud into the river and downstream. “The mud is so thick and heavy that the pumps can’t handle it,” he said.

“All I want is the full compensation I am due,” Mueslinah told IRIN. But others who were displaced are not so sanguine. A man standing nearby, who did not give his name, said: “I simply want to submerge whoever is responsible for all of this into that hot mud hole over there.”

bj/cb

Source: http://www.irinnews.org/

Add comment January 17th, 2008

Padukan Warna, Asesoris, dan Kemasan

SURABAYA - Keindahan bunga bisa menjadi simbol perasaan manusia. Bahasa kasih, simpati, dan cinta lewat rangkaian bunga mudah dimengerti manusia dari segala penjuru dunia. Karena itu, bunga juga bisa menjadi sumber hidup. Tak heran, kelas merangkai bunga, selalu banjir peminat.

Kemasan keranjang dan kertas pembungkus yang unik juga bisa menambah keunikan bunga. “Di Singapura sejak awa Desember, kami sudah mulai mencicil kemasannya. Banyaknya pesanan membuat kami harus kerja cepat,” katanya. Untuk peringatan Valentine, dia mengaku bisa mendapat pesanan dua ribu hand bouquet. Bagaimana di Surabaya? Enge mengatakan pesanan di floristnya bisa mencapai 200 buah. (uji) 

Source: Jawa Pos Online

Add comment January 16th, 2008

Orangutans miss jungle homes

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Malang

In the past two years, Unyil, 6, has only been able to exercise by swinging from one rope to another in a square enclosure at the Animal Rescue Center in Petungsewu, Malang, East Java.

It is uncertain how long the male Kalimantan orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) will remain in the eight meters square enclosure.

This is because all of the enclosures in the orangutan reintroduction center in Nyari Menteng, which is about 30 kilometers away from Palangkaraya, the capital of Central Kalimantan, are full — there is no room for any newcomer.

“I heard the center still has about 630 orangutans that have yet to be released into the wild,” Iwan Kurniawan, the coordinator of the Animal Rescue Center (PPS) in Petungsewu told The Jakarta Post in December.

Unyil is one of four Kalimantan orangutans that are still “in transit” at PPS Petungsewu. Besides Unyil, there is 4-year-old Jackson, 5-year-old Boni and 13-year-old Noni.

Some of the orangutans were delivered to the rescue center by concerned citizens, while the rest arrived with Natural Resources Conservation officers who had confiscated the primates from their unlawful owners.

The orangutans at PPS Petungsewi are not alone in their plight. Those in other Animal Rescue Centers like PPS Jogjakarta, PPS Cikananga, West Java, and PPS Tasikoki in Minahasa, North Sulawesi, share the same fate, according to Iwan.

“This is an important area. Rescue centers are temporary transit shelters and we don’t specialize in handling orangutans. Ironically, the Nyaru Menteng center is overcrowded because there are very few places where we can safely release the orangutans,” Iwan said.

Despite being legally protected in Indonesia, orangutans are often hunted, killed, orphaned, injured or sold into captivity.

According to 2004 data from the International Workshop on Population Habitat Viability Analysis (PHVA), the population of orangutans in Kalimantan was 57,797, while Sumatra had an orangutan population of 7,501.

Hundreds of orangutans in Nyaru Menteng have not been released to the wilderness due to the lack of tropical forest area that is safe, suitable and appropriate for orangutan habitat, according to Rosek Nursahid, the chairman and founder of ProFauna International.

The official website of the Nyaru Menteng center says they have not released any rehabilitated orangutan since 1999. At present, 38 orangutans (including six child orangutans) are deemed ready for release.

According to Rosek, the problem has much to do with the loss of rainforest in the country — the orangutans stronghold — due to illegal logging, forest fires and the clearance of forest for housing, farming and plantations.

As of 2000, the natural orangutan habitat in Indonesia had reduced from 340,000 hectares to 165,000 hectares.

“The government must protect the orangutans after they are released. Otherwise the rehabilitation process is for nothing,” Rosek said.

The government, through the Forestry Ministry, says it has worked hard to develop a national strategy and action plan for orangutans.

Yet, Rosek said the launching of the Conservation Strategy and Action Plan for Indonesian Orangutans 2007-2017, by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the United Nation Climate Change Conference in Bali on Dec.10, was unsupported by real actions or conviction.

“The government’s commitment is only lip service. There should be a 25-30 year moratorium on the conversion and destruction of forests to increase the size of orangutan habitats and boost their security,” Rosek said.

The government should demonstrate its commitment by allocating funds for orangutan conservation to all animal rescue centers in Indonesia, banning the transfer of orangutans to safari parks, where they are exploited to entertain visitors, and fully supporting the moratorium on the conversion and destruction of Indonesian forests.

“Under the moratorium, we will be able to save both orangutans and the forest while under the Reducing Emissions from Degradation and Deforestation (REDD) scheme, it is not clear how the funds will be allocated,” he said.

Rosek suggested a scheme that allowed a developed country to donate compensation funds for orangutans and Indonesian forest conservation by hectares.

“The price of an orangutan in Europe is between US$40,000 and $50,000. The compensation should be higher than that,” he said.

“It is tragic that a globally recognizable species like the orangutan can no longer survive it in its jungle habitat. The government should be held responsible,” Rosek said.

The President said the orangutan was the icon of the rainforest. Therefore the rainforest should be saved in order to save orangutans. Orangutans are now endangered because in the past 35 years, Indonesia has lost about 50,000 orangutans.

“If this condition continues, in 2050 the orangutan will be extinct,” he said.

That is why the Indonesian government launched the strategy and action plan for orangutan conservation, the President said. He also asked the nation to support environmentalists’ efforts to save the orangutans.

Source: The Jakarta Post

Add comment January 15th, 2008

Students to learn by becoming ‘tourists’

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Students in the School of Tourism at the University of Indonesia (UI) will visit this month tourism destinations in cities in Java and Bali as part of its study tour program, Java-Bali Overland Tour 2008.

During the study tour, which is scheduled to be a 10-day tour, the students will learn several key aspects of the tourism, industry including how to manage tourism sites and how to guide visitors.

“We will learn many aspects of the tourism industry from this program. It is expected that students will get a better understanding of this industry (through the tour),” Dewi, chairperson of the organizing committee, told The Jakarta Post.

The students will visit Yogyakarta, Surakarta and Semarang in Central Java, Probolinggo and Malang in East Java, and Denpasar and Kuta in Bali.

They will also experience staying at different hotels, from average accommodation to high-end facilities.

“The students must study the roads and know the hotels that are available in those cities. The students should be informed about tourist destinations and accommodations,” Dewi added.

Dani, a tourism student at UI, said she could not wait to start the study tour.

“I will enjoy that program,” Dani said, adding that she had participated in another study tour last year.

During the Java-Bali Overland study tour, the students will be divided into groups, with each group having different assignments from their lecturers.

In Yogyakarta, the students will visit a batik workshop, as well as the famous tourist spots Jl. Malioboro and Ratu Boko Temple. The students will also visit Pasar Klewer, a traditional market in Surakarta known for its garment and textile trade.

From Surakarta, the students will head to Trowulan Museum and Tikus Temple in East Java. The following day, they will visit the iconic Mount Bromo.

In Bali, the tour will take students to several popular tourist destinations, including Bedugul, Tanah Lot and Sukowati market.

The students will also visit Tanjung Benoa and Nusa Dua beach, where they are to take part in fun learning activities.

They will have to study tourist facilities whenever the student groups stop at sites such as temples, palaces or beaches.

“Basically, we will learn from our recreational visits to tourist sites,” Dewi said.

Source: The Jakarta Post

Add comment January 14th, 2008

Unibraw opens link to Germany

MALANG: In an effort to improve its quality, Brawijaya University (Unibraw) in Malang, East Java has signed a cooperation agreement with the University of Kassel, Germany.

Through the agreement, the two universities have agreed to mutually benefit from resources for the improvement of education, research and public service.

This agreement will be the first step for Unibraw to become a world-class university, and includes Unibraw’s sending lecturers to study at the University of Kassel.

It is hoped that the cooperation will encourage the further exchange of students and lecturers to improve the quality of both universities. — JP

Source: The Jakarta Post

Add comment January 14th, 2008

Alunan Angklung Penanda Pergantian Tahun

SURABAYA - Anak-anak Sanggar Alang-Alang memiliki cara berbeda dalam merayakan Tahun Baru 1429 Hijriah. Tak banyak permohonan yang mereka panjatkan. Mereka memilih menonton film dan memainkan angklung di markas Sanggar Alang-Alang, Joyoboyo, kemarin (10/1).

“Saya meminta anak-anak untuk tidak terlalu banyak meminta permohonan kepada Tuhan. Sebab, Tuhan pasti akan memberikan yang terbaik kepada umatnya,” ujar Didit H.P., pemimpin Sanggar Alang-Alang.

Ansambel angklung tersebut memainkan lagu Mars Alang-Alang, Lihat Kotaku, Kukuruyuk, dan Tombo Ati. Kelompok musik yang baru dirintis dua bulan lalu itu mampu beranggota sekitar 28 anak. Namun, hingga kini baru 15 anak yang sudah intensif mengembangkan keterampilan bermain angklung itu.

“Kami terus mencoba membuat terobosan-terobosan baru untuk memberikan pembekalan kepada anak-anak. Angklung ini, saya rasa, cukup bagus untuk mengembangkan kinerja otak mereka,” ujar Didit.

Perayaan kemarin juga diisi ceramah agama. Ceramah bertema syukur tersebut disampaikan Ustad Wahid asal Sidoarjo. Setelah ceramah, anak-anak sanggar salat magrib berjamaah.

Untuk mengetahui perkembangan dunia Islam selama setahun lalu, anak yang rata-rata berusia di bawah 18 tahun itu disuguhi film tentang perkembangan Islam. “Sebagai umat-Nya, anak-anak perlu tahu tentang perkembangan akidah,” katanya.

Sanggar Alang-Alang pun telah menyiapkan program Konser Tenda untuk anak-anak yang berumur 18 tahun. “Setelah mereka memiliki keterampilan di bidang musik, dengan ini minimal mereka memiliki tempat untuk bisa menyalurkan bakat agar mereka tidak kembali ke jalanan,” ujar Didit.

Rencananya, konser tenda tersebut diadakan di tempat-tempat keramaian. Misalnya, Taman Bungkul, Taman Prestasi, dan Taman Flora. “Secara bergilir, kami mengadakan konser,” tuturnya.

Program itu, lanjut Didit, bakal efektif mulai April mendatang. “Kami akan urus perizinannya dulu, semoga pemkot bisa membantu. Ini kan bagian dari usaha mengatasi anak jalanan,” tandasnya. (top/dos)

Source: Jawa Pos Online

Add comment January 11th, 2008