Indonesian free-trade to boost cattle market

MATT CUNNINGHAM, SKYNEWS in Jakarta, NT News

March 8, 2017 10:36am
Subscriber only

TERRITORY cattlemen are hoping a free-trade agreement with Indonesia will help end
uncertainty for their export businesses.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Jakarta yon
Tuesday.

The proposed free trade agreement was one of the issues on the table, with hopes a deal could be
struck by the end of the year.

Mr Turnbull said Australia had growing trade ties with Indonesia but they should be stronger.

We are not trading enough with Indonesia and both sides recognise that and that is why the
President and I have agreed that we will finalise the Indonesia and Australia economic
partnership, our free trade agreement, if you like, by the end of the year, he said.

Territory cattlemen have long been at the mercy of the volatile quota system that had seen
Indonesia decide on a quarterly basis how much beef it wants to import from Australia.

NT Cattlemens Association chief executive Tracey Hayes, who is in Indonesia, said the recent
changes were a positive for the industry.

If the regularity of comments acknowledging the positive and genuine strength of relationship
between our two leaders is anything to go by, completion of a trade agreement is looking
achievable, she said.

Recent changes to the live trade protocol, increasing export weights for cattle from 350kg to
450kg, is a win for the supply chain for both countries.

That coupled with the validity of permits extended to 12 months, creates greater certainty and
choice.

From a producer perspective, expanded parameters for any market or commodity is a positive.
It also leads to an increase in the available cattle for purchase by exporters.

In 2015, Indonesia reduced its cattle quota from 250,000 to 50,000, citing economic factors.

However many believe the decision was made following Australian criticism of Indonesia in the
wake of the execution of Bali Nine drug runners Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukamaran.
A switch to an annual system and the increase in the live weight for export has been negotiated
and was announced during Jokowis visit to Australia last month.

What we have also done is arranged to improve the access of Australian live cattle export so it
will increase the weight, the age and the term of the permits, so that will enable more access to
the Indonesian market for our beef industry, Mr Turnbull said.

Indonesia has been struggling to keep up with demand for beef.

Its recently allowed the importation of Indian buffalo meat, promoting concerns the inferior
product is being passed off as Australian beef by some retailers.

Ms Hayes has previously expressed concern at the impact of increased competition on Australian
beef from other regions including South America.

BlackBerry launches new Aurora smartphone - but heres why you cant get it
THERES another new BlackBerry smartphone - however you may face a bit
of a challenge in order to get your hands on it.
By Michael Moore

PUBLISHED: 15:59, Fri, Mar 10, 2017 | UPDATED: 16:11, Fri, Mar 10, 2017

Following the hype that surrounded the launch of the BlackBerry KEYOne at Mobile World
Congress last month, the company has now revealed another new device.

The BlackBerry Aurora is the companys first release in partnership with Indonesian firm BB
Merah Putih, and looks to offer another affordable Android smartphone.

However for anyone based in the UK, getting the BlackBerry Aurora might not be as easy as
expected.

Blackberry unveils their stylish new Mercury smartphone

At first glance, the BlackBerry Aurora looks like a fairly decent mid-range Android device.

The device comes with a 5.5-inch 720p display, and runs Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box
alongside BlackBerrys own software offerings, including the DTEK security suite and
BlackBerry Hub.

Inside, theres a Snapdragon 425, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, a microSD slot up to 2TB, and
a 3,000 mAh battery that the company says will provide over 20 hours of battery life.

The phone is also available in black, silver, and gold, and will go on sale for around $260 - or
Indonesian RP 3,499,000.

Thats because the BlackBerry Aurora will initially only go on sale in Indonesia.

The move is due to Indonesia actually boasting the worlds largest population of BlackBerry
users.

Theres no news on a wider launch for the device just yet, but if the device proves a success we
may yet see the BlackBerry Aurora in other markets at some point.

Cyclical Consumer Goods | Thu Mar 9, 2017 | 3:52am EST

Indonesia January retail sales grow 6.3 pct
y/y
Indonesia's retail sales in January grew 6.3 percent from a year earlier, a much slower pace than
in December, a survey by Bank Indonesia (BI) showed on Thursday.

The central bank said decreased buying of food and non-food items weakened the growth rate in
January.

The survey of 700 retailers in 10 major cities predicted that February annual retail sales growth
would be at the same pace of 6.3 percent from a year earlier, maintained by sales of food items.

Respondents in the survey felt that price pressures were expected to increase in May.

They also predicted retail sales will be up in the next three months in line with increasing
demand ahead of the Muslim fasting month. (Reporting by Nilufar Rizki; Editing by Sunil Nair)

Elections 2017

ASIAN GAMES: Indonesia shrugs off organisation woes

By AFP | 2 months ago

This photograph taken on March 4, 2017 shows workers at the under-

construction Senayan sport complex which will be used during the 2018
Asian Games in Jakarta. Inter Milan president Erik Thohir has confirmed he
is collaborating with Indonesian anti-corruption authorities but brushed
off allegations of graft in relation to the awarding of the 2018 Asian
Games. / AFP PHOTO / BAY ISMOYO

Organisers of Indonesias 2018 Asian Games insisted yestersday that preparations were on track
after the build-up was hit by corruption allegations and concerns about faltering organisation.
With 18 months to go until the start of the worlds biggest multi-sport event after the Olympics,
the flurry of early problems has sparked worries in a country with a chequered history of hosting
international tournaments.

When Indonesia hosted the Southeast Asian Games in 2011, the event was marked by a major
corruption scandal, delays in getting venues and infrastructure ready and a deadly stampede at
the football final.

Indonesia vows to tackle marine pollution

March 9, 2017 6.25am AEDT Updated March 22, 2017 8.13pm AEDT
Popular tourist destination Kuta beach in Bali, Indonesia, is regularly
covered in waste, most of it plastic that washes ashore during the rainy
season. This picture was taken on February 15, 2016. Wira
Suryantala/Antara/Reuters
It is wet season in Bali, Indonesia, a popular tourist destination for Australian, Russian, German,
Chinese and Japanese visitors.

As the rain pounds down on banana leaves and rice fields, the rivers fill up and irrigation systems
overflow. With it, the water masses bring trash in bulk: anything from food wrappers and plastic
bags to bottles and other domestic waste.

To tackle the issue of marine pollution, several organisations got together in Nusa Dua a
popular tourist destination and other locations across Bali to stage the largest beach clean-up
the island has seen.

Around 12,000 volunteers collected 40 tons of garbage at 55 locations, according to the One
Island, One Voice campaign page.

While the beach clean-up was a hugely successful awareness campaign and a great promotion
which highlights the efforts done around the island, it is only a drop in the ocean of global
marine pollution.

Plastic pollution in Indonesia

In recent years, Bali has seen growing environmental problems such as pollution and freshwater
scarcity. Popular tourist destination Kuta beach is regularly covered in waste. Most of this is
plastic that washes ashore during the rainy season.

The islands garbage dumps are reportedly overflowing,. This makes solid waste management a
pressing issue. Some 60% of Balis water catchment are drying up, threatening freshwater
resources.

On top of that, Indonesia is the worlds second-biggest marine polluter after China, discarding
3.22 million metric tons of waste annually. This accounts for 10% of the worlds marine
pollution.

The effects marine pollution has on ecosystems and humans are beginning to be well
documented. Marine scientists have found harmful consequences of marine pollution to sea life,
ecosystems and humans.

Plastic can kill ocean mammals, turtles and other species that consume it. It can also poison food
and water resources, as harmful chemicals leach out of the plastic.
It poses threats to human health as well. Plastics leach cancerous toxins. After being consumed
by marine species, they enter the food chain, eventually ending up in fish we eat.

Marine plastic pollution is a global problem and Indonesias beaches present pressing examples
to study the socio-economic effects this has on coastal communities.

Most vulnerable to marine pollution left out of global

discussions
Last month, The Economist held the fourth Oceans Summit in Bali.

The summit was attended by state leaders such as Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla,
representatives of major global economic organisations such as Citigroup managing director
Michael Eckhart, and celebrity and entrepreneur Adrian Grenier.

Speakers and panels discussed a number of topics, including the blue economy and how
companies and governments can participate in this marine-based sustainable industry.

During the summit, the Indonesian government announced it will pledge US$1 billion to curb
ocean waste by 70% by 2025. Its an ambitious objective, which shows dedication and
commitment to a plastic-free future.

But not all voices are heard in this global debate. Many Bali-based environmental organisations
engaged in education programs were not represented at the summit. Those economically most
vulnerable to pollution such as beach vendors, fishermen and others employed in the marine
tourism trade appear to be left out of the conversation.

Marine pollution and tourism

The Indonesian government plans to boost tourism and increase national visitors from 9.7
million in 2015 to 20 million by 2020. Such increases in visitor numbers and population will
raise consumption and waste production, further pressuring the islands infrastructure and
ecosystems.

With tourism as the islands largest economic sector, many Balinese people depend on foreign
visitors to earn an income. Some tourism operators are concerned that if the plastic problem
increases it will damage this industry. They fear tourists will stop coming to Bali if it is too
polluted.

Marine communities may also suffer negative socio-economic consequences, as fishermen can
lose their livelihood and tourism operators lose their customers.
While some tourism operators understand that clean beaches are key in attracting international
tourists, the expected growth is likely to further stress Balis environment.

What is being done?

Efforts by activists, community groups and NGOs to clean beaches play a key role in protecting
Balis environment. But they are only a temporary fix and dont tackle the causes of this global
problem.

Such groups are leading the fight against over-development and pollution through protests,
clean-up events and educational programs.

Campaigners from Bali-based environmental youth group Bye Bye Plastic Bags advocate for
an island-wide ban on plastic bags. They also spoke at the Ocean Summit.

And while they convinced Balis governor to commit to make the island plastic-bag-free by
2018, continued development of legislation, regulation and industry guidelines is needed to save
Indonesias waterways from drowning in waste.

Editors note: An earlier version of this article claims that substantial groundwater resources in
Bali were predicted to run dry by 2020. It should be 60% of Balis water catchment are drying
up. It has been corrected.