Japan, Indonesia to investigate condom plant feasibility.
The Japanese government has begun investigations on the possibility of constructing a condom manufacturing plant in Indonesia in response to a request by the Indonesian government.  Indonesia, which hopes to reduce its birthrate as of 1971 by 1/2 by 1990, asked for Japanese assistance in building a condom plant based on the expectation that demand for this contraceptive method, although quite low at present, will increase rapidly in the near future with stepped-up motivation campaigns.  As a 1st step in the investigation, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) sent a study team of family planning experts headed by Family Planning Federation of Japan Chairman Dr. Hidebumi Kubo and including JOICFP International Division Director MR. Tameyoshi Katagiri to Indonesia from March 15-24.  During its visit, the JICA team held discussions with representatives of BKKBN (the National Family Planning Coordinating Board) including its Chairman and Minister of Health Dr. Suwardjono and reached agreement on the scope and schedule of work toward determining the feasibility of building and operating a condom plant in Indonesia.  In defining the scope of work and the schedule, the JICA team and the BKKBN representatives decided on specific issues to be investigated in the feasibility study to be carried out by JICA and scheduled to be completed by the end of October of this year.  To be included in the feasibility study are:  estimation of future domestic demand for condoms, examination of the domestic supply of latex capacity, chemicals and packaging materials, and collection of information on infrastructure relating to water, energy, transportation, etc.  Actual data collection for the study is expected to begin in late May or early June.  Dr. Kubo and Mr. Katagiri, upon returning to Japan, reported great enthusiasm for the project in Indonesia and expressed the hope that the plant construction will be feasible so that the country's family planning program can be given a boost and the cooperative relationship between Indonesia and Japan deepened.
D001208:Asia; D001210:Asia, Southeastern; D017280:Condoms; D003267:Contraception; D019049:Developed Countries; D003906:Developing Countries; D004467:Economics; D005193:Family Planning Services; D005202:Asia, Eastern; D007214:Indonesia; D007221:Industry; D007564:Japan
Asia; Barrier Methods; Condom; Contraception; Contraceptive Methods; Developed Countries; Developing Countries; Eastern Asia; Economic Factors; Family Planning; Indonesia; Industry; Japan; Macroeconomic Factors; Southeastern Asia