Seminar bahan bakar Ethanol

Pada tanggal 15 Mei 2007 telah dilakukan seminar tentang Plant and Agricultural Biotechnology yang deiselenggarakan oleh United Nation University Yokohama. Pembicara tunggal adalah Professor Albert Sasson mantan Deputy Director-General of UNESCO, yang sedang menjadi Senior visiting Professor di United Nation University Yokohama.

Professor Albert Sasson menjelaskan tentang kebutuhan manusia akan bahan bakar yang berasal dari produk pertanian. Beliau mengatakan bahwa kebutuhan bahan bakar dunia semakin meningkat sementara cadangan bahan bakar bensin sudah mulai menipis. Untuk itu diperlukan mencari jalan keluar sebagai bahan bakar pengganti, atau paling tidak dapat mengurangi penggunaan bahan bakar bensin yang makin lama semakin menipis tersebut.

Pada saat ini harga bensin tidak menentu dan sering terdapat kecenderungan harganya makin lama makin meningkat. Karena kebutuhan bahan bakar tidak terelakkan lagi maka dilakukan pencarian bahan bakar lain yaitu ethanol maupun biodisel. Dewasa ini banyak orang berbicara tentang bahan bakar ethanol sehinga telah merangsang tercipta beberapa tipe kendaraan menggunakan bahan bakar dengan kandungan ethanol.

Ethanol diproduksi dari bahan produk pertanian yang kebanyakan bersaing dengan kebutuhan pangan manusia yaitu gula.

Salah satu negara penghasil ethanol terbesar di dunia adalah Brazil. Brazil juga merupakan negara penghasil gula terbesar didunia. Brazil mempunyai lahan 18 juta ha yang dapat dipergunakan menanam tebu. Brazil berani mendorong penggunaan bahan bakar ethanol karena Brazil mempunyai lahan yang luas dimana iklim dan tanahnya cocok untuk bercocok tanam tebu. Tetapi beliau mengingatkan agar hutan Amazon tetap dipertahankan sebagai penjaga kelesatarian lingkungan hidup di bumi ini.

Brazil sedang mengembangkan pembuatan mesin kendaraan yang dapat tidak hanya berbahan bakar bensin, tapi juga untuk campuran bensin dan ethanol maupun ethanol dengan konsentrasi tinggi.

Selain itu untuk biodisel telah dikembangkan dibeberapa negara. Beliau menyayangkan negara asia tenggara telah merencanakan proyek besar dengan cara menebang hutan untuk ditanami pohon kelapa sawit yang dapat dijadikan bahan baku bahan bakar biodisel. Sangat disayangkan kalau hutan tropis yang kita lindungi tersebut fungsi menajdi berkurang dalam menjaga kelestarian lingkungan hidup.

Pada saat ini kebutuhan bakar asal produk pertanian yang semakin meningkat tersebut akan mempengaruhi kebutuhan manusia terhadap bahan makanan pokok. Sehingga dikhawatirkan persaingan ini akan mempengaruhi kesejahteraan umat manusia, karena banyak sebagian besar penduduk didunia ini masih kekurangan bahan makanan. Maka dari itu beliau menekankan agar bahan bakar yang berasal dari produk pertanian berasal bukan dari bahan baku makanan pokok manusia, seperti biji jarak, limbah kayu, maupun tanaman rumput-rumputan.

Selain itu perlu dilakukan penggunaan teknologi tinggi dalam rangka peningkatan kwalitas maupun kuantitas produk pertanian. Untuk keperluan itu ditingkatkan penggunaan teknologi transgenic untuk memperoleh produksi tinggi maupun terkandung zat utama tinggi, seperti amylopectine. Untuk mendukung kebutuhan manusia semakin meningkat Nanotechnologi dan Biotechnology perlu digabungkan untuk dimanfaatkan dalam pencapaian kemakmuran manusia.

Terakhir yang sangat menarik untuk kita cermati adalah agar kita menghitung berapa besar energi masukan yang kita pergunakan untuk menanam tebu, memanen, mengangkut, mengolah menjadi ethanol dan sampai tersedianya bahan bakar. Jangan sampai energi yang dipergunakan untuk pembuatan bakar tersebut menjadi tidak jauh berbeda dengan energi bahan bakar yang dihasilkan.

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UN US Red Cross to Restore Fishering in Tsunami-Hit Areas

New York - The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced recently that it has partnered with the American Red Cross to help fishing communities in Indonesia’s Aceh Province that were heavily impacted by the 2004 tsunami.
The three-year project will assist in promoting the responsible and sustainable management of fisheries and aquaculture that coastal communities rely on for food and employment. Enhanced supervision of these sectors is crucial to prevent overfishing and prevent any further damage to ecosystems still recovering from the tsunami, FAO said as quoted by UN News Center.
Aceh Province’s western coastal area and Nias Island, North Sumatra, were devastated by an 8.9-magnitude earthquake and gigantic tsunami on December 26, 2004, which destroyed most of infrastructures, including harbors and fish markets, in the areas. (Source: Antara130507)

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RI, Brunei Strengthen Cooperation in Fishery Sector

Denpasar - The Indonesian delegation to an international fisheries conference here held a meeting with its counterpart from Brunei Darussalam on Friday to strengthen the two countries'' cooperation in the field.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of the "Regional Ministerial Meeting on Promoting Responsible Fishing Practices in the Region," attended by representatives from 12 countries, namely Australia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines, Timor Leste, Singapore, Thailand, China, Brunei Darussalam, Japan and Indonesia, Sau P Hutagalung, chief information officer of the fisheries and marine resources ministry, said.
The Indonesian delegation was led by Fisheries and Marine Resources Minster Freddy Numberi while the delegation from Brunei was led by Industry and Primary Resources Minister Dr Haji Ahmad.
On the occasion, Freddy Numberi emphasized the importance of the implementation of "the Bali Plan of Action" agreed upon in Bali in 2005 at the "APEC Ocean Related Ministerial Meeting."
He also emphasized the importance of expanding the two countries'' cooperation by involving the private sectors from both countries to invest in fish catching, processing and marketing.
Numbery also said investment opportunities were wide open in the facility- and industry-related fishery development.
Dr Jahi Ahmad on the occasion appreciated the initiative Indonesia had taken with Australian support to organize the meeting to promote fishery resources especially in areas that border with other countries.
Hutagalung said during the two countries'' meeting the two ministers exchanged information about their fishery policies especially in sea fishing and fishery development.
The two ministers also agreed to increase cooperation in the field of fishery and to provide an umbrella for international cooperation in the sector. (Source: Antara060507)

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RI to Increase Cotton Production to 70,000 Tons in 2010

Jakarta - Indonesia plans to increase its cotton production to 70,000 tons in 2010 to reduce its dependencw on imports, Director General of Plantations Achmad Manggabarani said here on Monday.
He said domestic need for cotton at present reached 550,000 tons a year but only 5,000 tons of it could be met by domestic production and the rest had to be met with imports.
"To meet the production target we plan to open 50,000 hectares of cotton plantations until 2010 and raise productivity to 1.4 tons per hectare," he said.
He said at present productivity of cotton plantations in Indonesia reachied only 0.6 tons per hectare because the seeds the farmers used were of low quality.
The cotton plantation development program would be implemented in 55 districts in seven provinces, namely Central Java, East Java, Yogyakarta, Bali, East Nusa Tenggara and South Sulawesi.
At a production rate of 70,000 tons a year, national cotton plantations'' contribution to the domestic textile industry and textile production would reach 4.7 percent or up 0.5 percent from the present level.
In 2006, cotton plantation development reached 8,980 hectares producing 4,191 tons of raw cotton equivalent to 1,397 tons of processed cotton to contribute 0.3 percent to the textile industry and textile production.
Manggabarani said three companies would be involved in the development of cotton, namely PT Nusa Farm in West Nusa Tenggara, PT Sukun in East Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta and Bali and PT Sebo Fajar in South Sulawesi.
The president director of PT Ade Agroindustry, Ii'' Tjahyadi, said the textile industry needed a large quantity of long-fiber cotton. "The seeds are mostly imported and the result are good," he said.
He said the country actually had large potentials for cotton plantation development but it still had yet to overcome irrigation problems because the plantations were located on marginal land.
Commenting on the irrigation problem, director of water management of the directorate of water and land management of the ministry of agriculture, Gator Irianto, said his office would strive to exploit water sources from shallow and surface water supply for cotton plantations.
"We will use local equipment for easy operation by local farmers," he said. (Source: Antara15/05/07)

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RI to Develop Oil Palm Plantations in Tanzania

Jakarta - The Indonesian government is looking into the possibility of investing in oil palm plantations in Tanzania, Agriculture Minister Anton Apriyantono said Tuesday.
"In the era of globalization, we can develop plantations not only at home but also abroad,” he said in commenting on the results of his recent visit to the African country.
He said Tanzania now has around 59 million hectares of oil palm plantations and its climate which is not much different from Indonesia's is worth considering to make investment.
Every hectare of oil palm plantation in Tanzania now can produce 6 tons of palm oil, making opportunities to invest in the sector wide open, he said.
He said his office will soon send an expert team to Tanzania to look into the possibility of investment in the country''s oil palm plantations.
Indonesia and Malaysia currently supply 80 percent of the global need for palm oil, while the remaining 20 percent come from Thailand and India, he said.
Data from the Agriculture Ministry show Indonesia''s crude palm oil (CPO) output reaches 16 million tons per year, 12 million tons of which are exported. (Source: Antara080507)

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North Sumatra Earns US$12.7 Million from Cocoa Exports

Medan, North Sumatra - North Sumatra earned US$12.7 million in foreign exchange from cocoa exports in the first three months of 2007, a local official said.
"The value of the cocoa exports from January to March 2007 increased by about US$3 million from US$9.4 million in a corresponding period last year," Fitra Kurnia, an official of North Sumatra’s industry and trade office, said here on Thursday.
The volume of the cocoa exports also increased to 7,636 tons from last year''s 7,015 tons in the first three month period of 2006, he said.
North Sumatra''s cocoa exports go to several countries such as Malaysia, China, Singapore and Thailand.
The higher cocoa export earnings happened because of an increase in the world cocoa price and in demand for the commodity, he said. (Source: Antara030507)

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Modern VCO Factory to be Built in North Sulawesi

Manado, N Sulawesi - North Sulawesi will have a modern virgin coconut oil (VCO) factory which will be build at an investment value of Rp1.3 billion from provincial budget, an official has said.
"Bid for a contract to build the factory will finish this year and the factory will be operated next year," North Sulawesi Plantation Office head Rene Hosang said here Tuesday.
The proposed factory would use stainless steel machinery in a bid to maintain quality of VCO which was widely known as panacea, he said.
"Operation of the VCO factory will be handed over to a private firm which is required to make contribution to the provincial coffer. The VCO will be produced based on Indonesia''s National Standard (SNI) that it can be exported to many countries," he said.
The proposed VCO factory could be utilized by household business to purify their homemade VCO, Rene said.
North Sulawesi Coconut Farmer Association chairman Marthen Nelwan said the upcoming VCO factory would help improve quality of VCO which was mainly produced as home industry in many North Sulawesi households. (Source:Antara080507)

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Japan Liberalizes Import Duties on Indonesia’s Banana, Manggo

Tokyo - Japan has liberalized import duties on such Indonesian fruits as banana, manggo, and rose-apple as a follow-up to the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) signed with Jakarta in mid April 2007, an official said.
In the sixth round of EPA negotiations, Japan agreed to buy Indonesian fruits and assist Jakarta in overcoming fruit flies, Agricultural Attache at the Indonesian embassy in Japan, Pudjiatmoko, said here Tuesday.
He said Indonesian fruit producers must be able to benefit from the agreement by supplying quality fruits which meet the Japanese quality standards.
Banana was on the great demand in Japan, overtaking mandarin apple and orange which for the past few years dominated the Japanese public''s appetite, he said.
"The results of a recent study made in Japan show demand for apples fell, while demand for banana was on the increase," he said.
The increase in banana consumption based on the study conducted in 2004 was believed to have been caused by the low prices of banana, he said.
Japan is imposing tight regulations on imported fruits, particularly to prevent plant pests from attacking the local fruits. (Source:Antara010507)

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Indonesia to Seek Japan’s Confirmation on EPA Settlement

Jakarta - Indonesia will seek Japan''s confirmation regarding the settlement of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with that country, trade minister Mari Elka Pangestu said here on Wednesday.
"We will go to Japan to ask for a confirmation on the follow-up of the EPA. We are now still waiting for information from the Japanese ministers of trade, economy and industry and foreign affairs on our planned bilateral meetings," she said.
She said the negotiations on the agreement had now reached the final stage. "We are trying to encourage an early completion of the negotiations and inquire about the schedule and time frame for the two countries'' heads of state to sign the agreement," she said.
Mari plans to leave for Japan on May 16 and later proceed to the US to promote investment.
In the negotiations in March, according to chief negotiator Halida Miljani, the two sides still had yet to reach agreement on the substance of the cooperation.
"We wish the agreement would benefit both sides," she said here some time ago.
Indonesia wished Japan would provide help not only in the form of capacity in building of manufacturing centers to enable the country to also supply components of Japanese standard quality toits automotive, engineering and electronic industries.
"If Indonesia can do this, the benefit would be enormous. The EPA would support industrial development," she said.
Halida admitted that the manufacturing centers could not be materialized in the short-run because the EPA was indeed designed for a long-term partnership.
She also admitted that the funds from Japan for this purpose is very limited, while the building of the center could not fully rely on the official development assistance. In addition, she said, Japan could not force its industries also to give other kinds of help in addition to technical assistance.
In the negotiations on liberalization of trade of goods, Indonesia agreed to abolish import duty on raw materials for the production of components to be used in Japanese companies in Indonesia.
Halida said the mechanism and criteria for the agreement were still being discussed.
Earlier, Indonesia has scrapped steel products for automotive, electronic and engineering industries from the list of goods enjoying an import duty exemption.
The agreement on the import duty exemption was reached on the condition that Japan would help Indonesia in raising the capacity of its steel component industry. "We will continue discussing it to reach agreement," she said. (Source: Antara100507)

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Indonesia to Open 50,000 New Rubber Plantations Until 2010

Jakarta - Indonesia plans to rejuvenate 250,000 hectares of traditional rubber plantations and create 50,000 new plantations starting this year until 2010 in an effort to become the world''s largest natural rubber producer, an industry spokesman said.
Sudarto Mangunkusumo, executive director of the Association of Indonesia Rubber Companies (Gapkindo), said here on Monday the government would provide up to Rp2 trillion for the project.
He said Gapkindo had suggested that the government speed up the issuance of land certificates to the people so that they could have access to bank loans.
Indonesia should be fast in the effort so that it would not lose the momentum, he said, adding that China was already trying to invest in the development of three million hectares of rubber plantations in Indochina to meet its future needs.
"In 25 years, China will have three million hectares of rubber plantations in Indochina. If a hectare could produce a ton of rubber China''s need later will be met. So where will we sell ours," he said.
He said Gapkindo had also suggested that the government provide the seeds for the program.
If the program was successful the country''s natural rubber production would rise from 2.9 million tons in 2010 to 3.5 million tons in 2015.
Based upon data from the National Industry Roadmap 2010 and Vision 2030 of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 2005 the country''s natural rubber production reached 2.27 million tons mostly coming from traditional plantations (1.8 million tons) while 210,000 tons from state-owned PT Perkebunan Nusantara plantations and 222,000 tons from private plantations. (Source:Antara080507)

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China’s Guangxi Province Interested in Investing in RI Sugar Industry

Jakarta - The Guangxi Province in China is exploring possibilities of investment in the sugar industry in Indonesia, Industry Minister Fahmi Idris said.
"They are interested in building a sugar mill and open sugarcane plantations in Indonesia," Fahmi told the press after a meeting with Liu Qibao, a Guangxi provincial administration official, here on Monday.
He said the government will soon issue a policy on investment in the sugar industry under which those wishing to set up sugar mills in the country are also required to build sugarcane plantations. Investors would be given three years to prepare their sugarcane plantations.
Fahmi said, in his meeting with Liu Qibao, he had suggested that the Chinese investor set up a sugar mill and open a sugarcane plantation in Merauke district, Papua.
Merauke was a good location for the Chinese investment as vast tracts of land suitable for sugarcane planting were available there, he said. (Source: Antara 15/05/07)

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