The government has forecast growth of nearly 4 percent for the manufacturing sector this year, which would mark a turnaround from the slump last year, as the country gears up for a coronavirus vaccination program. Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said Tuesday that the positive outlook was based on the increase in investment in the sector and promising export figures despite the pandemic severely impacting the industry last year.

“For 2021, the manufacturing sector’s growth is forecast to return to positive territory. All manufacturing subsectors will grow, assuming we have brought the pandemic under control and economic activities have recovered,” Agus said in a virtual event. In the January–September period of last year, realized investment in the manufacturing sector totaled Rp 201.9 trillion (US$14.2 billion), marking an increas...