Makassar, South Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - Indonesia plans to set up six corridors to accelerate development and economic expansion across the country, vice governor of South Sulawesi, Agus Arifin Nu`mang, said here on Wednesday.

This is one of the topics discussed at the government`s recent meeting in Bogor, West Java, attended by heads of regions from across the country, he said.

"There is a new paradigm. For accelerating development and economic expansion the government will divide the country into six corridors namely Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Papua and Bali-Nusa Tenggara," he said when explaining the results of the meeting that he also attended.

He said the new paradigm is about the role of the state-owned companies in investment. So far the state-owned companies` investment has been worth around Rp380 trillion a year. The investment is expected to be increased up to Rp860 trillion.

The targets of investment will be adjusted to regions` superiority such as Kalimantan for mining and Sulawesi for production and processing of plantation and fishery products, he said.

"This does not mean that mining may not be developed in Sulawesi. South Sulawesi`s position as a surplus rice producer is also linked to national and world food resilience," he said.

He said South Sulawesi which holds a strategic position as a rice producing region has asked the central government to give support to the region`s agricultural infrastructure and road development.

"This includes the development of Trans-Sulawesi to make it to have two lanes from Makassar to Parepare and other provinces around South Sulawesi," he said.

He said the central government had asked regional governments to solve regulations that are overlapping. "This will provide us an opportunity to develop Sulawesi integratedly," he said.

It will also be used to meet the target of making Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi, to become the hub of land and sea transportation for eastern Indonesian regions, he said.

He said the Soekarno-Hatta seaport would also be developed like the Hasanuddin international airport.
(Uu.H-YH/HAJM/A014)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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