Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) urged his ranks to expedite development of coal derivative industries to increase the added value of these commodities, lower imports of industrial raw materials, and create as many jobs as possible.

"To this end, we must move towards expediting development of the coal derivative industry," President Jokowi noted while opening a limited meeting from the Presidential Palace, Bogor, on Friday to discuss ways to accelerate increasing the added value of coal.

Efforts to develop the coal derivative industry, include the upgrading of domestic coal, manufacturing briquettes, and manufacturing fuels, such as coke, liquefying coal, and coal gasification.

"I am certain that by developing this coal derivative industry, I believe it can increase the added value of commodities many times over," he remarked.

Hence, the head of state urged the ministries to prepare a road map for the optimization of domestic coal that should essentially apply environment-friendly technology.

"Determine the strategy and downstream products that we are keen to develop, so that it is clear which direction we are headed," he affirmed.

The head of state emphasized that the development of derivative industries or those included in industrial downstream activities necessitated the consistent application of a major strategy.

"We all have to shift from an exporting country for raw materials, one of them being coal, to an industrial country capable of processing raw materials into finished goods or semi-finished goods," the president stated.