Indonesians are eating too much rice to the point that nationwide production keeps falling short of demand. Many have proposed a diversification of local dietary habits, but rice consumption is deeply rooted in Indonesian culture, and switching to alternatives alone would not address structural problems in domestic farming.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is seeking private-sector investors for the development of food estates.

The Industry Ministry’s IKI shows that manufacturing industries posted growth in June, all except for the textile sector, which fell below the threshold value of 50 amid its prolonged battle to gain a foothold against an influx of foreign imports.

A shortage of mid-sized companies has negative repercussions for employment and competition, according to the global financial institution.

Indonesia booked its first deficit of the year at 0.1 percent of GDP in May as state revenue fell 7.1 percent amid a flurry of spending that grew 14 percent in May, including on social assistance to mitigate the impacts of El Niño on food prices.

It is hoped Swift, along with the Olympics Games in France and the Euro 2024 soccer championship in Germany will provide a shot in the arm for a continent that has just skirted recession for most of the past two years and badly lagged the United States. 

The government has made inroads to luring investors for the Nusantara megaproject through an MoU on a partnership between the Land Bank Authority and Japan’s J Trust Group to develop Penajam Eco City, designed as a commercial hub to serve as the economic engine of the nation's new capital.

Experts say Indonesia should consider looking for a helping hand from China, South Korea or Europe, in addition to the United States and Japan, which led the initiatives with the JETP.

Private-sector businesses want hefty returns in order to engage in the future capital city, despite numerous incentives already offered to woo investors.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has decided to observe June 26 as International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (HANI). This year, HANI carries the theme “The evidence is clear: invest in prevention”, which puts much emphasis on the importance of preventive measures in  addressing drug abuse.

Retailers, manufacturers and other industries that rely on massive box ships are again battling surging rates, port backups and shortages of empty containers, even as many consumer-oriented firms look to build inventories heading into the peak year-end shopping season.

Apindo says the government should address potential investors' concern over the new capital's small initial market composed of just civil servants and how it might resolve the demand issue.

The projected deficit would be higher than initially planned by the government in this year’s state budget of 2.3 percent of GDP.

The President expressed concern about the burden on local banks and wants the loan program to resume until the end of the year, even as Indonesia was the last country to phase out such pandemic-related special facilities in March.

China's Premier Li Qiang used his address at a World Economic Forum meeting in Dalian to hit back at accusations from the US and EU that Chinese firms benefit from unfair subsidies and are poised to flood their markets with cheap green technologies.

A 2003 law stipulates that Indonesia's fiscal deficit must not exceed 3 percent of GDP in any fiscal year and that the government’s total debt must stay within 60 percent of GDP.

Indonesian economy is expected to expand five percent overall this year, followed by 5.1 percent in 2025 and 2026, World Bank says.

Sri Mulyani has coordinated with president-elect Prabowo Subianto’s transition team to understand the next administration’s budget requirements, and emphasized the need for good management of the state budget.

That was despite the European Central Bank delivering a widely telegraphed cut to interest rates earlier this month.

Investment comes amid a struggling local textile industry and falling demand from foreign buyers as well as layoffs.

The cost of the public-private partnership (PPP) apartment projects could be two to three times higher than the total investment value.

Science and technology development is one of the main pillars of increasing Indonesia’s competitiveness. Amid increasingly fierce competition in the global era, innovation is the key to advancing the national economy and improving quality of life throughout the archipelago.

Analysts have urged the Finance Ministry and the transition team of president-elect Prabowo Subianto to reduce the pressure on the currency by providing clarity on fiscal policy.

Indonesia’s trade surplus rose in May as the country’s exports continued to exceed imports, yet the cumulative figure for the first five months of 2024 is below what it was in the same period last year.

The government continues to strengthen various efforts to boost national exports, including through the establishment of the National Export Enhancement Task Force on Sept. 20, 2023. Amid the current global economic conditions, Indonesia's export performance has shown good results, with the country’s export value in May 2024 reaching US$22.33 billion, an increase of 13.82 percent month-to-month (mtm) or 2.86 percent year-on-year (yoy).

Indonesia's efforts to become one of the world's largest economies are increasingly paying off. This is demonstrated by the rise of Indonesia's competitiveness ranking by seven places in 2024, the highest in the past six years.

The employers' association has flagged the rupiah, which reached an all-time low in two years on Friday, cautioning that its weakening rate would adversely impact businesses across a variety of operational aspects.

Indonesia is seeing a surge in impact investing thanks to growing awareness of ESG issues, with investors deliberately seeking to effect positive change alongside financial returns.

The majority of the investors looking into the KIPP are local businesses and members of the Real Estate Indonesia (REI) association. 

Malaysia and China are expected to sign several deals, including renewing a five-year trade and economic cooperation agreement.