Indonesia to Collaborate with the Netherlands to Support Domestic Agriculture Startups

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian government is ready to collaborate with universities and business incubators in the Netherlands to support domestic agriculture startups, said Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Teten Masduki on Thursday.

"We are ready to cooperate with incubator institutions and universities, including Wageningen University, as one of the world's best universities and the only Dutch university that focuses on healthy food and a healthy living environment," Masduki said in a statement from his ministry on Thursday.

He said that the government is planning to partner with Wageningen University to help Indonesian agriculture startups develop through the university's Startlife Agrifoodtech Accelerator, which has assisted over 400 startups and established 40 global partnership networks.

He also said that the government is seeking to cooperate with UtrechtCE, the business incubator of Utrecht University, as well as with business incubator DotSlash Utrecht, to exchange experiences in creating sustainable and impactful businesses and expediting global transitions.

The agriculture sector has been among significant contributors to Indonesia's gross domestic product (GDP), he noted. In 2022, the sector contributed 12.4 percent to the country's GDP.

"Indonesia needs to digitize its agriculture sector to help its startup agriculture companies develop," he added.

Citing the 2020 Agritech Report, he pointed out that only 4.5 million Indonesian farmers, or 13.4 percent of the total farmers in the country, had made the most of the convenience offered by the internet as of 2019.

Masduki emphasized the importance of boosting the number, given that the value of Indonesia's online grocery market is expected to reach US$6 billion by 2025, placing it among countries with the most rapid growth in the Southeast Asian region.

ANTARA

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