Kalimantan and Sumatra became the worst performing regions of Indonesia last year due to their extreme dependence on commodity products, prompting the government to push economic diversification on the two islands.

Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said the two islands were the main producers of palm oil and coal in Indonesia. The plunge in the commodities market has curbed economic growth in Sumatra and Kalimantan to only 3.5 percent and 1.3 percent, respectively.

"The mining sector experienced negative growth. The slump in commodity prices and the absence of new investment have caused the sector to record negative growth of 5.1 percent," he said at the House of Representatives complex in Jakarta on Monday.

The government, he continued, had launched several economic policies to boost manufacturing in the regions, such as creating a new special economic zone (KEK) in Sei Mangke, North Sumatra to produce value-added palm oil products.

"Previously, Sumatra and Kalimantan enjoyed a booming CPO [crude palm oil] and coal market but neglected the need to diversify their economies and improve downstream industries. It's time to diversify," he said.

In 2015, Indonesia's economy grew 4.7 percent. Household consumption grew 5 percent, slower than the 2014 rate of 5.2 percent. Meanwhile, government consumption and investment grew 5.4 and 5.1 percent respectively.

Bali and Nusa Tenggara recorded the highest economic growth among major regions of the country with a jump of 10.3 percent in 2015, driven by the tourism industry. Sulawesi followed with economic growth of 8.2 percent, driven by agriculture and fisheries.

Maluku and Papua, the country'€™s easternmost region, recorded growth of 6 percent last year, while Java experienced stable economic growth at 5.5 percent, driven by manufacturing.

In terms of industries, manufacturing expanded by 4.2 percent last year, agriculture registered growth of 4 percent, consumption rose by 6.6 percent, trade by 2.5 percent, transportation by 6.7 percent and insurance by an impressive 8.5 percent. (ags)

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