March 22 (Reuters) - Indonesia has some of the world's top reserves of energy and minerals, although in recent years it has struggled to attract enough investment to maximise development of rich deposits that include coal, gas, copper and nickel. The country hosts a number of major global resource firms and there has been a long history of foreign involvement in the sector, although some firms have been involved in disputes, including over contracts and allegations of environmental damage.

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Sinar Mas Group, one of Indonesia's top palm oil growers, denied on Friday accusations that its activities were damaging the environment and said it would stick to plans to expand its plantations. Greenpeace activists have targeted Sinar Mas in a recent campaign for contributing to deforestation in Indonesia, which is blamed as a key source greenhouse gas emissions in the Southeast Asian country.

JAKARTA (Reuters) - As Indonesia heads for elections, some politicians are taking a more nationalist line on the country's vast natural resources, a move that could scare off much-needed foreign capital amid the global credit crunch. While some industry experts see the rumblings over foreign investment as campaign trail posturing, the rhetoric highlights the risks for investors in Southeast Asia's biggest economy, particularly in its energy and mining sectors.

Saturday, 21 March 2009 Indonesia will allocate at least two million hectares (4.9m acres) of farm land to joint ventures with Saudi investors, to be used mainly for the cultivation of rice, a Saudi newspaper reported on Saturday. The move would turn Indonesia into the world's top rice exporter in 2009, said Alwi Shihab, the Indonesian president's special envoy to the Middle East, according Saudi newspaper Okaz.