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Ministry to launch prototypes of multipurpose cars for farmers
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Economy ride: President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo (left) and Industry Ministry Airlangga Hartarto inspect a prototype of multipurpose car designed for local farmers during a visit to Boyolali, Central Java, on Jan. 30. (Courtesy of Industry Ministry/File)
T
he Industry Ministry is finalizing prototypes of cars designed especially for local farmers to harvest crops and carry out other agricultural tasks.
Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto said the vehicle prototypes would be ready by August.
“Now we have five prototypes. We have completed the test drive and emissions tests, but we still want to improve the designs,” he said on Friday.
Each car features an engine under 1000 cc and will be tagged at Rp 60 million (US$4,484). The ministry claims that each prototype is made from 100 percent local components.
(Read also: Indonesia en route to popularize tropical fruit)
Airlangga said that once the prototypes were launched, the ministry would open up opportunities for whoever wanted to produce and distribute them.
“[The program] is open source so production can be anywhere, including in workshops in villages,” he said.
The ministry’s metals, machinery, transportation and electronic equipment director general, I Gusti Putu Suryawirawan, said the cars were expected to replace the so-called Grandong car, a locally made multipurpose diesel vehicle that harvests crops and serves as a rice mill and waste processing machine.
“The Grandong car doesn’t meet safety standards,” he said. (hwa)
