PT Bakrie Rekin Bio Energy is building a biodiesel processing plant in Batam, which is expected to start operating mid next year and be able to process 100,000 tons of biodiesel annually, mainly for the overseas market, The Jakarta Post reported. State Minister for Research and Technology and chairman of the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology Kusmayanto Kadiman laid the cornerstone at the four-hectare factory site near Kabil Port on Monday (14/5/07).

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Monday (14/5/07) pledged to make Indonesia a better place for foreign and domestic investors engaged in oil and gas exploration and production. Speaking at the opening of the 31st annual Indonesian Petroleum Association Convention and Exhibition in Jakarta, Dr. Yudhoyono said the government is in the process of creating a better and friendlier investment climate for energy companies.

Advertising industry spending on TV and print media spots grew 19% in the first quarter, hitting Rp7.03 trillion ($798.75 million), according to ACNielsen Indonesia. This represents a significant rise from advertising spending of Rp5.92 trillion in the January-March period of 2006, and Rp5.54 trillion in the same period in 2005, reported The Jakarta Post.

Trade Minister Mari Pangestu said Thursday (17/5/07) the government is watching if palm oil exports need to be taxed more to ensure domestic supply, but will wait a few more weeks to determine what it will eventually do to prevent cooking oil prices from rising further. The government has been working with palm oil producers and oil processors to ensure that there is sufficient domestic supply at a lower price, the minister said. The country exports about 80% of its CPO production.

Leading agribusiness company PT Asra Agro Lestari said it will acquire 17,000 hectares of palm oil plantation this year, mainly in East Kalimantan, Antara reported. The acquisition is part of its plan to expand its oil palm plantations by 100,000 hectares by 2010, director Bambang Palgunadi said. Palgunadi said the process of acquisition is already in progress for 20,000 hectares in Aceh, 40,000 hectares in Morowali, Central Sulawesi and 10,000 hectares in South Kalimantan.

Malaysia's Alkauthar Eyeing Revival of Bali Air Malaysia's Alkauthar Sdn Bhd is eyeing a majority stake in Bali Air, which suspended operations in April 2005. Alkauthar told the Investor Daily it plans to convert Bali Air, which had five aircraft before it stopped operating, into a cargo carrier. Alkauthar director Dato's Bistaman Ramli said a deal is expected to be signed before the end of the year.

Some 54 major manufacturing companies from China are studying market expansion in Indonesia, Antara reported on Wednesday (16/5/07). The companies, which deal with the automotive and component, machinery, heavy equipment, communication and technology, and electronics industries, will take part in a China Machinery and Electronics Trade Exhibition to be held in Jakarta on May 24-26.

Strong exports and reviving consumption helped push the economy in the first quarter, momentum that could see it grow even faster over the course of the year, The Jakarta Post reported. First-quarter growth in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) was at 6% year-on-year, the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) said Tuesday (15/5/07). On a quarterly basis, the economy grew by 2% to Rp915.9 trillion ($101.7 billion), from last year's final quarter.

JAKARTA - Some of Indonesia's most influential and politically connected companies have refocused their business strategies and are joining hands with foreign investors to push forward the government's multi-billion dollar ambition to transform the country into the world's leading biodiesel producer. But there are major political, financial and environmental risks to the grand designs, which arguably are being understated and threaten to complicate the emerging industry's outlook.

Casinos and tollroads are highly rated by entrepreneurs as guaranteed money-makers, second only to the mint itself. Candy would probably come close, if you stop to ask yourself how much it could have actually cost to produce that popular little lozenge you're about to pop into your mouth. There's evidence to suggest that regardless of cultures, people around the world tend to eat more sweets when times are hard or when they're feeling low. As products go, this is one inflation-proof category.