Govt to update SNI standards

Govt to update SNI standards

JAKARTA: The Office of the State Minister for Research and
Technology plans to facilitate the overhaul of national standards
established under the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) as many
of them have become outdated.

"Many standards are not compatible any more with the current
situation," said the head of the standardization office, Rudiama
Sugama.

For example, about 80 percent of some 600 product standards on
agriculture were now obsolete. Altogether, 60 percent of all
standards set out under the SNI could not be used anymore, he
said.

To replace those outdated standards, Rudiama said his Office
would introduce a program, to be called the Indonesian National
Standard Initiative (ISNI), for industrial users in 2003.

To encourage standardization of products by small and medium
enterprises, Rudiama said the government would provide financial
incentives for them to join the ISNI. --Antara