Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte addressed Indonesian Parliament on Wednesday (23/11) in Jakarta. In his speech he praised Indonesia for rapid economic development that has been booked over the past decade and also touched on the sensitive subject of the colonial period. Rutte acknowledged that the Netherlands waited too long before apologizing (in 2005) for excessive violence that occurred shortly after the Second World War when the Dutch tried to reconquer their former colony.

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The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) expects Indonesia's coffee exports to fall in the 2016/2017 season due to rising domestic coffee consumption in Indonesia and low productivity. In the January-May 2016 period coffee exports from Indonesia fell 33.9 percent year-on-year (y/y) to 117,000 metric tons from 177,000 metric tons in the same period one year earlier. Indonesia's main coffee export destination markets are the USA, European Union (EU), and Japan.

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Among the beautiful natural scenery that attracts numerous tourists in Indonesia are the tea plantations. The region around the Puncak pass in West Java is particularly known for its tea plantations. However, Indonesia's domestic tea production and exports are on the decline, while tea imports into Indonesia have been skyrocketing. Not only in terms of quantity there is concern about Indonesian tea, but also in terms of quality. Lets take a closer look at the world’s seventh-biggest tea producer.

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Donald Trump becoming next US president in January 2017 will not affect foreign direct investment (FDI) in Indonesia according to the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM). Trump's election caused a huge wave of uncertainty in financial markets worldwide. However, the BKPM remains committed to its investment realization targets (including both domestic and foreign direct investment) of IDR 594.8 trillion (approx. USD $44.7 billion) in 2016 and IDR 631.5 trillion (approx. USD $47.5 billion) in 2017.

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