Ministry of Industry projects food industry to grow 9 percent

A worker prepares shallots to be processed into pasta in Sidamulya Village, Brebes, Central Java, Saturday (26/01/2019). The onion paste processing factory owned by the Farmers' Owned Enterprise (BUMP) assisted by Bank Indonesia Tegal produces 500 kilograms per day and sells Rp22 thousand per kilogram, making it easier for food industries that use raw shallots and to be a solution when prices of shallots are falling. (ANTARA PHOTOS/Oky Lukmansyah / tom)

In 2018, its contribution reached 72.25 percent. So far, industry has become the biggest contributor,

Jakarta (ANTARA) -
illustration - food industry (Antara Jabar/Raisan Al Farisi / agr.

Jakarta - The Ministry of Industry has projected that the food and beverage industry can grow above 9 percent in 2019 due to additional investment.

The government will continue to boost the performance of export-oriented industrial sectors, said Minister of Industry Airlangga Hartarto through his statement received in Jakarta on Sunday.

This year, the food and beverage industry, textiles and textile products (TPT), and footwear are ready to invest a total of Rp79 trillion. The food and beverage industry will pour Rp63 trillion in investment, up 11 percent from 2018. Then the footwear and TPT industry prepares investment of Rp2.8 trillion and Rp14 trillion respectively, almost doubling from the previous year.

The government makes the labor-intensive industrial sub-sector an engine of manufacturing growth and a significant contributor to non-oil/non-gas exports.

In 2018, non-oil/non-gas exports were recorded at US $ 130 billion or increased by 3.98 percent compared to 2017.

"In 2018, its contribution reached 72.25 percent. So far, industry has become the biggest contributor, " he said. In addition, it means that the products of domestic manufacturing industry have talked a lot at the global level.

The Minister of Industry also noted that investment in the manufacturing industry sector continued to grow significantly.

In 2014, capital investment amounted to Rp195.74 trillion, then rose to Rp222.3 trillion in 2018. This increase in investment boosted employment of up to 18.25 million people in 2018, which contributed 14.72 percent to the total national workforce.

"From 2015 to 2018, there was a 17.4 percent increase and it is estimated that it can increase employment in 2019 along with the realization of investment," said the Minister of Industry.

The Ministry of Industry targets, throughout 2019 the growth of the manufacturing industry can reach 5.4 percent.

Subsidies that are estimated to grow high include food and beverage industry, machinery industry, textile and apparel industry, leather industry, leather goods, and footwear, as well as the metal goods industry, computer and electronic goods

Reporter: Eliswan Azly
Editor: Suharto