'RI will focus its research on food, energy development'
'RI will focus its research on food, energy development'
Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesia, aware of the rising demand for food and energy in the
next two decades, will focus its research work on food
manufacturing and energy availability, a top official said on
Monday.
State Minister of Research and Technology M. Hatta Radjasa
told reporters on the sidelines of the National Coordinating
Meeting on Research, Science and Technology, that the decision
was taken because the areas were of the utmost importance for the
country's population of about 220 million.
"It is very unreasonable for a country with a large population
like Indonesia, that food is still imported in significant
quantities," Hatta said.
He rejected the idea that "the previous research ignored food
manufacturing process in the country".
"Organic farming, biopesticides and new rice hybrids, in fact,
are also food manufacturing development."
Touching on the long-term aims of the research, he said that
by 2017 Indonesia would increase not only its food production but
also rely on nuclear power for its energy needs.
When asked about the budget for the planned research, the
minister declined to mention the figure, saying only: "for sure,
research will consume around 60 percent of the total budget for
research and technology."
Over the past eight years, the country's budget for research
is around 0.2 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product
(GDP), which in 2002 reached Rp 1,800 trillion (US$200 billion).
Now they are planning to increase it to at least one percent of
GDP in the next eight to 10 years.
Although priority would be given to food and energy research,
other research, including in the once-famous aircraft industry,
would not be ignored, he said. He blamed the lack of research in
the other areas on the country's limited funds and poor education
standards.
Hatta also urged researchers to be innovative to produce
things that supported local industry.
He admitted that to boost the creativity of the researchers
the government would have to also strengthen law enforcement
regarding piracy and violation of property rights in industrial-
commercial technology.
"It is important for all of us to fight piracy and increase
the people's awareness of property rights, because if we keep on
pirating products, the world will put us into a primary watch
list which will eventually affect our economy badly," Hatta said.
Separately, Minister of Energy Purnomo Yusgiantoro, one of the
key speakers at the meeting, noted that Indonesia's potential in
energy resources was proven by the fact that 40 percent of last
year's total investments were staked on the energy sector.
"Indonesia has large potential in the geothermal energy
sector. About 40 percent of the world's geothermal energy is in
Indonesia," Purnomo said, adding, however that "the exploration
(in this field) is only about one percent."
He said the ministry was drafting five bills on energy this
year, covering oil and gas, electricity, geothermal resources and
mining.