Jakarta. Top executives and investment bankers are optimistic about business growth in Indonesia, particularly in the commodity and service sectors, citing strong economic fundamentals and political stability. Economic growth in Indonesia has been supported by rising confidence, buoyed by the most stable political climate in the country since the ouster of strongman Suharto in 1998.

Tiga Pilar Sejahtera Food, an Indonesian producer of dried noodles, may spend $175 million to plant oil palm trees and buy a plantation company in Sumatra to tap growing demand for the commodity. Tiga Pilar will plant 15,000 hectares to 16,000 hectares of land it owns next year at a cost of as much as $85 million, the company’s chief financial officer, Sjambiri Lioe, said on Thursday. An agreement to buy a plantation company for about $90 million is expected to be completed in February.

VIVAnews - Bank Indonesia and the National Statistics Agency expect that the inflation rate can be slowed down. Should there be lower inflation rate, the Bank Indonesia (BI) Rate may have another cut, which will result in lower lending rate. Eventually, lending rate may reach its one-digit level. BI governor Darmin Nasution said if lending rates decrease, small- and medium-sized entrepreneurs will have more confidence to propose loans to banks.

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Romuald Morawski, the Polish Trade Promotion and Investment Division chief, thinks trade between Indonesia and Poland will grow by 20 percent. However, Poland has been suffering from trade deficits because it trades more often with European countries. The value of trade between the two countries come to US$ 332 million, Indonesia recorded a US$ 186 million surplus. During the first eight months of this year, the total trade amounted to US$ 250 million.

PT Tiga Pilar Sejahtera Food, an Indonesian producer of dried noodles, may spend $175 million to plant oil palm trees and buy a plantation company in Sumatra to tap growing demand for the commodity. Tiga Pilar will plant 15,000 hectares to 16,000 hectares (37,000 acres to 39,500 acres) of land it owns next year at a cost of as much as $85 million, Chief Financial Officer Sjambiri Lioe said.

US President Barack Obama’s quick trip to Indonesia last week helped cement warm ties between the two countries on a number of different levels, the new US ambassador said. But trade and investment ties, while growing, may be held back by protectionist measures that could dampen the appetite of US investors, he conceded.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia`s oil production will drop by up to 270,000 barrels per day , if the cabotage principle is applied to foreign contractors in 2011, the country`s oil and gas industry`s regulator said.