The Water Agency Represents Dutch Water Sector in EU-Indonesia Trade and Investment Roadshow 2022
European Union Policy and Outreach Partnerships (EU-POP) Indonesia, which serves as a public diplomacy program of European Union delegations in Indonesia, arranged a trade and investment roadshow to Central Java Province in Semarang, Tuesday (4/10/2022). The roadshow is part of Comprehensive Economic Partnerships Agreement (CEPA) between European Union and Indonesia. The roadshow in Semarang is the second roadshow this year, which is organized, after a roadshow to Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara Province, in April.
Central Java Province is chosen because Batang and Kendal are both emerging industrial zones in the province. It has huge potential investments between international companies, in particular EU companies, and Indonesia. One of investment opportunities offered is Grand Batang City (locally known as Batang Integrated Industrial Area/ KITB), situated along the coastal area of Batang and formerly known as a rubber plantation called Kebun Siluwok run by a state-owned company, PTPN IX. Nowadays, Grand Batang City is managed by a consortium of various state-owned companies, namely PT Kawasan Industri Terpadu Batang.This activity was attended by EU delegations, KADIN Central Java, representatives of Central Java Provincial Government and more than 90 local and EU companies. Two discussion sessions were also organized to discuss potential collaborations between EU and local companies. In addition to that, a sharing session was also organized to share experiences on the ground from companies who have collaboration projects between EU and Central Java. At this session, The Water Agency represents the Dutch Water Sector to share experiences on the ground regarding help businesses in facing water challenges and projects that had been done in Central Java and Yogyakarta provinces – to put it into context. Apart from The Water Agency, European Investment Bank (EIB) and Laksana Bus Company also shared their experiences in the sharing session.
The activity was ended with a visit to the Grand Batang City, which serves as the primary investment destination offered by the Government. The industrial area is 4,300 Ha and consists of three clusters:
- Cluster 1 (industrial estate and township) covers 3,100 Ha;
- Cluster 2 (innovation estate and township) covers 800 Ha;
- Cluster 3 (recreational estate and township) covers 400 Ha.
The first phase of the development has been completed and covers 450 Ha of land. Several manufacturing companies have been invested and developed their factories, among others glass, battery, and electronics industries. A dry port area is planned to be developed to support the access and transport logistics for the industries.
Author: The Water Agency/Yulia