Indonesia, South Korea Ink MoU on Agriculture

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo and South Korean Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs Minister Chung Hwang-keun signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on agriculture in Jakarta on Tuesday.

"Today, we signed an MoU and will discuss many aspects together. After the signing, there will be a task force (established) from the Indonesian and South Korean agriculture ministries to deepen the discussions," Limpo informed.

According to him, one of the "very intense" discussions with Minister Chung pertained to the question of how to fulfill the dairy industry’s needs and realize financing for the cow industry. South Korea is believed to be looking to invest in Indonesia's dairy industry.

The Indonesian minister said that there are some commitments that will need to be elaborated, especially regarding smart farming and agricultural technologies.

Minister Chung has offered Indonesian young farmers the opportunity to intern in South Korea, he added.

He said he expects that agricultural industries in South Korea will invest in Indonesia so that the required agricultural tools and machinery will no longer need to be imported, but could be made in Indonesia through cooperation with South Korea.

Several issues about trade facilitation were also discussed during their meeting, such as ways to provide certification and assistance as well as strengthen trust.

"We will follow this up, and the South Korean Ministry of Agriculture also invited us to see firsthand the expected goals, and the work or technical agreement will be signed in South Korea," Limpo said.

On the same occasion, Minister Chung said that under the leadership of President Joko Widodo, Indonesia has made a significant leap in efforts to increase economic growth.

Indonesia, as a large archipelagic country, and the fourth-largest population in the world has very many advantages, he added.

"Today, the two countries have renewed the MoU and we will follow it up to produce results," he said.

ANTARA

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