JAKARTA. Minister of Industry, Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, said that the new petrochemical plant owned by PT Chandra Asri Petrochemical Tbk may help save up to Rp 8 trillion of foreign exchange per year. The plant itself has a production capacity of 400 thousand tons per year.
At present, domestic demand for polyethylene reaches 1.6 million tons per year. However, Indonesia only has an existing factory with a total production capacity of 780 thousand tons per year.
"So, the operation of this factory is in line with the direction of President Jokowi, which is to continue to boost investment and downstreaming of the industrial sector. This strategic effort is also believed to be able to fundamentally improve the national economy," Agus explained.
Last year, the export value of chemical materials and goods from chemical materials reached US$ 8.79 billion with a total investment in the industrial sector reaching Rp 26.2 trillion. (AM/AR)