PT SMART Corp. plans to build a crude palm oil refinery to cost up to $50 million in Jakarta in the second half of this year, Asia Pulse reported on Thursday. The project was originally to be carried out in May last year, company investor relations director Pintasari Chandra told Investor Daily. Chandra said the new plant will have a processing capacity of 800 tons of oil palm fruits per day. It will produce CPO derivatives including olein, margarine, and cooking oil.

Several domestic economic indicators in the first quarter were showing signs of bottoming out, three economists said, meaning the economy might not slump much further this year. Despite this, it was too soon to say whether the improvements were the “green shoots” of recovery or just a short-term respite, they said.

Ambitious Invetsments Targets Unlikely to Be Achieved in 2009. Calls for Stronger Sanction in New Zoning Law to Protect Bali's Environment. (4/20/2009) During the first quarter of 2009, the investment picture in Bali became stagnant with no new applications for domestic projects and only Rp. 53 billion (US$4.7 million) in foreign investment applications.

The Indonesian capital market has retained its position as the third most optimistic market in the Asia-Pacific region in the first quarter of this year. A survey released last week by the Dutch financial services giant ING, placed Indonesia after India and China, strengthening its position as one of the stronger capital markets in the region, amid the global economic crisis that has sent most bourses in the world into turmoil. Last year, Indonesia also ranked third after China and India.

Tuesday, 21 April, 2009 | 12:29 WIB TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The Business Competition Monitoring Commission (KPPU) is urging the government to immediately intervene in the case of monopoly charges against Carrefour. KPPU member, Tadjuddin Noer Said, said unhealthy competition in the retail sector cannot be separated from government policies. “Unfair competition takes place because of government policies, so we hope the government immediately intervenes in this case,” he said yesterday.

The government will soon introduce a regulation paving the way for the liberalization of the railway sector, with an analyst highlighting the need for equal treatment among players, to attract private companies and investment. The Ministry of Transportation has submitted a draft regulation on the railways to the State Secretary for the approval of the President.