Indonesia's coal mining group expects the country to export 170 million tons of the resource in 2008, the same as in 2007, quelling fears that the world's top exporter of thermal coal may cap shipments to feed fast-growing domestic demand, Reuters reported Tuesday (15/4/08). Kaz Tanaka, deputy chairman of the Indonesian Coal Mining Association, told an industry conference in Beijing the country intended to ship 190 million tons of coal abroad in 2009.

Indonesia plans to limit the area that metal and coal mining firms can explore in the mineral-rich country in a bid to prevent domination by a few companies, a legislator said on Monday (14/4/08), Reuters reported. A draft bill is expected to be passed by August, said Airlangga Hartarto, chairman of a parliamentary commission in charge of energy and mining issues, said. He added there are currently no such limits.

Motorcycle sales in Indonesia rose 37% to 1.44 million in the first quarter from the same period last year, led by Honda, data from an industry group showed on Monday (14/4/08), Thomson Financial reported. In March alone, motorcycle sales increased to 494,956 from 470,977 in the previous month and 363,855 in March 2007, the Indonesian Motorcycle Producers Association (AISI) said. Indonesia is the world's third-biggest motorcycle market after China and India.

The government is to open the port sector for investments from both national and foreign parties starting from next year following the approval of a government regulation on investments in the port sector, Bisnis Indonesia reported Friday (18/4/08). However, the government will impose a restriction that foreign parties will only be allowed to own a 49% stake maximum in a domestic port business.

TDM Bhd of Malaysia has signed a heads of agreement (HoA) with its subsidiary, PT Rafi Kamajaya Abadi, and H. Rahman to acquire and develop 30,000 hectares of oil palm plantation land, Asia Pulse reported Monday (14/4/08). The land located in West Kalimantan will be developed into an oil palm plantation under a proposed joint venture, it said in a statement. Total investment is RM320.14 million ($100 million).

Indonesia recorded an 80% on-year increase in actual investment in the first quarter of the year, head of the official Investment Board (BKPM) Muhammad Lutfi said Monday (14/4/08), Dow Jones reported. He added that investment in telecommunications, pulp and paper projects accounted for the largest portion during the January-March period. Based on official data at BKPM, implemented investment projects were valued at $14.4 billion in 2007, up 71.69% from the previous year.

The country's investment sector will grow 15.2% this year despite fears of global economic woes, the chief of the investment board (BKPM) said, while a survey by ING Bank placed Indonesia third on the list of countries likely to come out best from the crisis, after China and India. BKPM chief M. Lutfi said rising prices of primary commodities will continue to attract investment, Asia Pulse reported Tuesday (15/4/08).