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View all search resultsBP Batam’s leadership reflects on achievements, challenges ahead of 55th anniversary
Following a working visit to Seoul, BP Batam deputy for investment Fary Djemy Francis celebrated Batam’s achievements and pondered on the constant work to improve the island for its residents.
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BP Batam deputy for investment Fary Djemy Francis visited the K-water facilities in Lake Sihwa, Seoul, which he said offered a valuable lesson on the importance of integrated planning for industrial and public water needs. (Images courtesy of BP Batam)
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s the Batam Free Trade Zone Authority (BP Batam) turns 55, BP Batam’s deputy for investment Fary Djemy Francis reflected on its achievements and challenges alike.
Speaking to The Jakarta Post shortly after a work trip to Seoul, South Korea, Fary noted that BP Batam’s development achievements are certainly cause for gratitude.
Based on BP Batam’s bottom-up monitoring, investment realization for the first semester of 2026 reached Rp 38.97 trillion—equivalent to 55.67 percent of the annual target of Rp 70 trillion.
According to Fary, the achievement reflects the confidence of the business community and the collective efforts of many stakeholders in maintaining Batam’s appeal.
Batam’s progress is also evidenced by an economic growth rate of 6.76 percent in 2025, with a Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) reaching Rp 253.64 trillion.
In Q2 2026, Batam’s economy grew by 7.28 percent compared to the same period the previous year—surpassing the growth rates of the Riau Islands (6.99 percent) and the national average (5.29 percent), which he attributed to the result of collaborative work among the government, the business sector, the workforce and the community alike.
Human development has also improved; Batam’s Human Development Index (HDI) rose from 83.32 in 2024 to 83.80 in 2025, signaling progress in the dimensions of health, education and a decent standard of living.
“Economic growth and human development must reinforce one another to ensure that the opportunities to enjoy this progress become increasingly accessible to all residents,” Fary said.
Progress in social welfare is also evident in the decline of the poverty rate, which fell from 4.85 percent in 2024 to 3.81 percent in 2025. Meanwhile, the open unemployment rate decreased from 8.14 percent in 2023 to 7.68 percent in 2024, and further to 7.57 percent in 2025.
