Connecting the Dots: Business, Policy, and Progress

Good morning, Chief…

Here are today’s key updates on developments in the business landscape, curated by the SUAR Team.

The Business World Advances, the Economy Advances as Well

Indonesia’s aspiration for an advanced economy and a prosperous society can only be realized if its business sector thrives and remains sustainable. This goal can be achieved through various efforts, such as deregulation of rules and bureaucracy, as well as ensuring legal and regulatory certainty. Most importantly, it requires close collaboration among all stakeholders—businesses, the government, intellectuals, and the mass media.
This was the key takeaway from the launch event of SUAR media at Hutan Kota by Plataran Senayan, Jakarta, on Thursday (August 21, 2025). The event featured keynote remarks from Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Deputy Chairman of Commission XI of the House of Representatives (DPR RI) Hanif Dhakiri, and former Minister of National Development Planning/Head of Bappenas (2019–2024) Suharso Monoarfa.

(From left to right) Editor-in-Chief and Founder of SUAR Sutta Dharmasaputra with Press Council Chairman Komaruddin Hidayat, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Chairwoman of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) Shinta Widjaja Kamdani, and Deputy Chairman of Commission XI of the House of Representatives (DPR) Hanif Dhakiri at the launch event of SUAR media at Plataran Senayan, Jakarta, Thursday (August 21, 2025) / Photo: SUAR.idPa

In addition, the event also featured keynote remarks from Chairwoman of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) Shinta Widjaja Kamdani, Vice President Director of PT Triputra Agro Persada Tbk Budiarto Abadi, and Chairman of the Press Council Komaruddin Hidayat. Also in attendance were Indonesia’s Ambassador to Singapore Suryopratomo, Chairman of the Association of Regency Governments of Indonesia (Apkasi) Bursah Zarnubi, senior economist Hendri Saparini, and national scholar Yudi Latif. The event was further attended by a number of distinguished guests, including former ministers, prominent entrepreneurs, top corporate executives, and academics.

Read more here.

Testing New Routes: Shipping Industry’s Strategy After Trump’s Tariff Policy

The imposition of a 19% tariff on Indonesian products to the United States (US) by President Donald J. Trump, starting August 7, 2025, has become one of the main challenges for the shipping and logistics industry. Since Trump announced his plan to implement trade tariffs last April—finalized 90 days later—US buyers rushed to place large-scale orders from trading partner countries, including Indonesia. They sought to import goods before the tariffs took effect in August, which would make the products more expensive.
This surge was reflected in data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS). Indonesia’s total exports to the US in the first semester of this year reached USD 14.78 billion, marking a 33.49% increase compared to the same period last year, which stood at USD 12.25 billion. However, with Trump’s tariffs now in place, a new wave of uncertainty is beginning to surface.

Industry players are challenged to undertake a series of adaptive measures, one of which is exploring new route opportunities. Businesses should not rely solely on the Trans-Pacific route to the U.S. Seafreight companies need to strengthen networks in Asia-Africa, intra-ASEAN, and the relatively more open Latin American markets. Route diversification will reduce dependence on a single region that is vulnerable to protectionist policies.

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The Story of Local Food MSMEs Successfully Entering the Global Market

An inspiring story of local food MSMEs breaking into the global market comes from Minie Sudjarwo, Founder of MiniesQ. Through the MiniesQ brand, the woman who previously worked as a bodybuilder now stands on stage as a healthy cookies entrepreneur. MiniesQ products began to be placed on supermarket retail shelves. Today, MiniesQ is available in 15 modern markets, souvenir centers, and around 90 fitness centers. According to her, stronger branding has made her products easier to be accepted by the market, even doubling her revenue.
Another successful and inspiring story comes from Santi Krisantina Hakim, owner of the Wizz brand, who also secured a top 3 position. From her home kitchen, she develops a variety of processed food products, ranging from chicken floss to fish floss.

Read more here.

Logistics Industry Tastes Opportunities from Merah-Putih Village Cooperatives

The logistics industry has the opportunity to participate in the government’s mega project to develop more than 80,000 Red-White Village Cooperatives (KDMP), serving as a key spearhead for distributing agricultural products and various essential goods. “The establishment of Red-White Village and Subdistrict Cooperatives has begun this year. By the end of 2025, each cooperative will have a warehouse, cold storage, retail outlets, and two trucks to pick up and deliver local produce,” said the President on Friday (15/8/2025).
Yukki Nugrahawan Hanafi, Chairman of the Indonesian Forwarder Logistics Association (ALFI) Institute, stated that integrating the logistics sector can drive economic equity, job creation, and the dynamism of the national supply chain logistics sector. According to him, there are four key factors that must be fulfilled to achieve this: the organizational management capacity of the KDMP in running logistics and supply chains optimally, the availability of efficient fleets, the digitalization of logistics and supply chains, and ensuring the availability of skilled logistics and supply chain human resources.

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Budget Priority for Increasing Oil and Gas Production

The government places energy security as one of the priority agendas in the 2026 Draft State Budget (RAPBN). With an allocation of IDR 402.4 trillion, one of the targets is to increase the national crude oil and natural gas production volume.
In addition to focusing on efforts to achieve energy security through new and renewable energy (NRE), the necessary step to meet domestic energy needs is to increase crude oil and natural gas production. The decline in production, especially from the oil sector in recent years, has caused imports and a trade deficit in the oil and gas sector. Therefore, the fiscal support allocated in the 2026 RAPBN is prioritized to increase oil and gas lifting to maintain energy price stability and boost production as well as the energy mix in Indonesia.

Read more here.

People’s Festival for Indonesia 2025: This event will be held at the Smesco Indonesia Building, Jakarta, on August 22–23, 2025. Organized with support from Inside Sampoerna, the event offers a variety of engaging and informative activities, including inspiring discussions with experts, interactive classes with experienced mentors, and music performances. Visitors can also enjoy an MSME exhibition and a culinary festival featuring traditional Indonesian dishes. The event is free to the public, so anyone can attend and experience the excitement firsthand. For more information, visit the official website at www.pestarakyatuntukindonesia.com or follow Inside Sampoerna’s social media accounts.

Money Supply Developments July 2025: Bank Indonesia (BI) plans to release the Money Supply Developments report for July 2025 on Friday, August 22, 2025. The monthly report by BI will include information on the money supply, liquidity, and interest rates. This report is crucial as it reflects the current economic conditions and serves as a basis for various investment decisions and business policies. The report is usually released in the third or fourth week of each month. The July report can be accessed on Friday, August 22, 2025, via Bank Indonesia’s official website www.bi.go.id.