Lampung to Hold Investment Summit in May

Bandarlampung, April 7 (Antara) - The province of Lampung will hold an `investment summit` next months in a bid to draw investment to that region.

The organizers will invited government officials, local business leaders, infrastructure developers and investors as well as energy experts to take part in the meeting, acting secretary of the regional administration Arinal Junaidi said here on Monday.

Arinal said the investment summit is held to highlight the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the province.

"The results of the summit are expected to contribute to development of industries and energy in the province," he said.

Lampung Governor Sjachroedin ZP has warned of energy crisis in the province.

The governor said since 2007, Lampung has stood watching natural gas being sent using pipes crossing its land from South Sumatra to West Java across the sea.

"None of the gas goes to industries or households in Lampung," he said.

Arinal said Lampung is strategically located as a gateway for Sumatra to the busy sea lane of Sunda strait and to Java across the sea.

Sunda strait is also important as an international shipping lane between the Indian ocean and the South China Sea providing an alternative to Malacca strait, he said.

He said Java, especially Banten and the Greater Jakarta area including Bogor, Tangerang, and Bekasi need Lampung with farm and plantation commodities and essential goods needed by the rest of Sumatra are sent via Lampung.

Lampung is known to have potential agribusiness that needs expansion, he said , citing Lampung produces sugar 35 percent of the country`s total requirement.

Lampung is the country`s 7th largest rice producer with an annual surplus of 800,000 tons; the third largest producer of corn and the largest producer of cassava.

Lampung is the country`s largest exporter of canned pineapple mainly to Spain averaging 167,018 tons per year, shrimps to the United States averaging 19,614 tons per year and supplier of fresh fruits and vegetables to Jakarta averaging 1,000 tons per day.

"The potentials could be developed and expanded with the support of adequate infrastructure," Arinal said.

Lampung has strategically located industrial estates such as the 300 hectare Lampung Industrial Estate(KAIL), Tanggamus Maritime Industrial Estates to be built over a 2,000 hectare plot of land and Lampung Selatan Industrial Estates to be built over 15,000 hectare plot of land in the sub-districts of Ketibung--Ketapang.