From: The Jakarta Post West Nusa Tenggara is preparing to develop its seaweed and corn production and its cattle industry after the central government appointed the province one of the centers for the nation’s food production. “We're currently focusing on the production of corn, besides [seaweed and cattle],” West Nusa Tenggara Deputy Governor Badrul Munir said Thursday.

From: The Jakarta Globe By Dion Bisara & Muhamad Al Azhari Indonesia may see its sovereign ratings upgraded to investment grade in less than 12 months, a top executive from Fitch Ratings announced on Thursday. Fitch raised the country’s BB+ ratings outlook from positive to stable in February, citing its economic growth and a lower public debt ratio. BB+ is one notch below investment grade.

From:The Jakarta Post Over 4,700 bylaws issued in the past decade are considered “troubled” in that they threaten regional investment climates. The Committee for the Supervision of Regional Autonomy Implementation (KPPOD) said 4,741 bylaws of more than 13,000 bylaws issued in the past decade that it had studied were problematic. KPPOD manager for external relation, Robert Endi Jaweng, said in Jakarta on Thursday that 90 percent of the problems were centered on tax and retribution issues,.

Nusa Dua Beach World Complex May Prove Litmus Test for Governor's Resolve to Enforce 2009 Bali Zoning Law. As reported by Bali Post, efforts by the vice-regent of Badung to forestall the abandonment of the Beach World Complex, despite recommendations to do so from the Bali House of Representatives (DPRD-Bali), has drawn fire from Bali's governor Made Mangku Pastika and the director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WAHLI), Bali "Gendo" Suardana.

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Daihatsu Motor Company Ltd will not withdraw its investment despite the devastating disasters in Japan, Daihatsu president director Koichi Ina said in a meeting with Vice President Boediono yesterday. “The cooperation between Japan and Indonesia is going well,” said Ina after the meeting.

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Businessmen in the cocoa processing industry say they will settle for a 10 percent cocoa tax. Therefore, according to the Indonesian Cocoa Industry Association chairman Pieter Jasman, cocoa duties will be the same as the VAT paid by the industry. At present, cocoa duties range from zero to five percent. Earlier, the association wanted cocoa duties to be Rp500 per kilogram.

SEMARANG:The Central Java Culture and Tourism Office chief Maryanto will focus on attracting foreign tourists through cruises. This was seen to be the most effective way to increase international tourists. In 2011, there were 12 cruises entering Central Java, carrying at least 15,000 foreign tourists from Europe and the US. Maryanto is convinced that the target to bring in 24, even 30 yachts this year, will be achieved. Last year, only 18 yachts sailed in the province. SOHIRIN

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia`s non-oil/non-gas exports to the Middle East almost doubled to US$6.5 billion in 2010 from US$3.4 billion in 2005, a Trade Ministry official said. The exports hit a record high of US$7.2 billion in 2008, Director General of International Trade Cooperation at the Trade Ministry Gusmardi Bustami said at a discussion organized by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) for the Middle East Committee here on Wednesday.

Japan pledges big projects in Indonesia despite disaster at home A senior Japanese government official said on Thursday that his government would continue the Japan-assisted infrastructure projects in Indonesia despite devastating disaster at home. Metropolitan Areas (MPA) was one of the Japan-assisted projects in the country.

By Harry Su, Bahana Securities Amid Japan’s jolt, the Indonesian market has held up well coming off just 0.3 percent since Friday even amid redemption from Japanese funds. The paralysis affecting Japan, particularly with possible radiation crisis, will mean slower global economic growth, but this would be positive for the Indonesian market given a large domestic consumption (Chart 1) of 64.7 percent (i.e.

Mamuju, West Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - The government has projected the domestic economy to expand by an average of 7 percent annually in the 2010-2014 period as envisaged in the second phase of medium-term development plan, an official said. "The government will always make an effort to raise the national economic growth. In the 2005-2009 period or the first phase of medium-term development plan the economy expanded convincingly by an average of above 5 percent per year.