Day: July 26, 2023

The joint team has thwarted an attempt to smuggle crystal methamphetamine weighing 6,166 grams or 6.1 kg from the Ivory Coast. Tangerang, Banten (ANTARA) – A joint team of officials from the Customs and Excise Office and the Soekarno-Hatta Airport Police in Tangerang, Banten, have foiled an attempt to smuggle 6.1 kilograms of methamphetamine into Indonesia from the Ivory Coast.”The joint team has thwarted an attempt to smuggle crystal methamphetamine weighing 6,166 grams or 6.1 kg from the Ivory Coast,” Soekarno-Hatta Customs head Gatot Sugeng Wibowo informed here on Tuesday. The illicit drugs were brought to Indonesia in two packages containing spare parts for water pumping machines. “The package number AWB 81762204 was addressed to a recipient with the initials SA in Bekasi,” he said. The joint team found drugs wrapped in 12 plastic bags that were placed inside the spare parts after unpacking and inspecting the package. “Officers became suspicious about the cavity of two used spare parts (which) were then dismantled and (they) found 6 packages containing crystalline powder in each spare part,” he said. Following the finding, the officers immediately coordinated with the Soekarno-Hatta Police Narcotics Unit to carry out further investigation into the case. ccording to Wibowo, false concealment in consignments is one of the many methods used to smuggle narcotics into Indonesia. “Therefore, it takes the expertise of Customs officers to detect efforts to smuggle drugs into Indonesia,” he said.

Source: Antara News Agency

Jakarta (ANTARA) – National Development Planning Minister and National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) head Suharso Monoarfa has outlined three efforts made by Indonesia to support the transformation of global food systems to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs).”First, Indonesia commits to transforming its food system at the national and regional levels,” he said at the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) +2 Stocktaking Moment, held at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome, Italy. Indonesia’s Law No. 18 of 2023 concerning Food has mandated the country to transform its food system into a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable one, Monoarfa observed in an official statement received in Jakarta on Wednesday. s the largest archipelagic state, Indonesia is striving to transform its food system by localizing it according to the country’s local biodiversity and sociocultural aspects, he informed. “In this context, Indonesia considers agricultural food system transformation and the nexus of food, energy, and water, as essential aspects of the 20252045 National Long-term Development Plan (RPJPN),” he said. The minister then elaborated on the second effort, stating that Indonesia is emphasizing the importance of strengthening the agricultural sector and supporting smallholders in efforts to successfully transform its food system. “Smallholders play a crucial role in the food system. Therefore, the Indonesian government takes initiative to create an ‘enabling environment’ that can help smallholders,” Monoarfa explained. The final effort pertains to the urgency to forge stronger and more inclusive multi-party partnerships for transforming the food system. The minister said that the Indonesian government has initiated a series of multiparty dialogues and partnerships, such as the formulation of the Regional Action Plan for Food and Nutrition, to achieve this end. In addition, the central government has allocated a dedicated budget to help regional governments develop local food systems, he added. “The world should intensify cooperation and collaboration for the sake of the development of the food system. Together, we must invest even greater collective efforts to achieve the targets set in the SDGs,” he stressed. Furthermore, he urged the world to achieve the goals by developing more sustainable, just, and resilient food systems with the objective of alleviating global famine and poverty.

Source: Antara News Agency

Sleman (ANTARA) – The ASEAN Rural Culture Expo in Yogyakarta aims to help micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) promote their products to ASEAN delegates, according to Minister of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration, Abdul Halim Iskandar.”This exhibition is part of the series of activities of the 1st ASEAN Village Network Meeting, where we showcase MSME products from villages in Indonesia as well as ASEAN countries,” he said in Sleman, Yogyakarta, on Wednesday. He mentioned that representatives from village-owned enterprises and tourism villages in Indonesia are exhibiting interesting products at the event. “This activity should be followed up so that cooperation among ASEAN villages can run,” he said. Indonesia is currently holding the chairmanship of ASEAN, with the theme “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth,” reflecting its goal of making ASEAN an important and relevant global growth center. t the 42nd ASEAN Summit held from May 911, 2023, in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, the bloc’s leaders produced several important documents, including a Declaration on the Establishment of an ASEAN Villages Network. Iskandar said that the exhibition is expected to help villages in ASEAN, especially in Indonesia, strengthen their economic growth and improve their human resource quality. “(This exhibition) will encourage the acceleration of economic growth, as we can expect to witness cooperation agreements forged between village-owned enterprises of different countries,” he explained. The minister also said that the expo is expected to become a platform for villages to promote their products while preserving their cultural heritage and diversity. “Villages can introduce their featured products and promote their respective cultures and identities,” he noted. He then expressed hope that the exhibition will also serve as a medium for rural communities in ASEAN to exchange knowledge and experiences that can help them build their capacity.

Source: Antara News Agency