Jokowi Talks of Rice Imports with Cambodian PM in Australia

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Joko Widodo or Jokowi held a meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet at Park Hyatt Hotel in Melbourne, Australia, on Tuesday, March 5. The two leaders engaged in discussions about strengthening bilateral ties, including Indonesia's plans to rice import.

The meeting marked the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries this year, as stated by the Presidential Secretariat's Press Bureau. “The two leaders discussed cooperation on food security, including rice imports from Cambodia,” the statement said.

The Palace did not provide specific details of the meeting which took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN-Australia Summit. However, it was confirmed that the President pushed for the completion of the MoU renewal on rice trade and the establishment of a trade counter mechanism to agree on the price and quantity of imported rice.

“The implementation of the MoU on agriculture also needs to be expedited [to completion], especially the follow-up on strengthening agricultural management capacity, irrigation, and investment in rice processing and storage,” the President said.

The two leaders also discussed other topics, including the eradication of human trafficking and the expansion of economic cooperation. Jokowi expressed his gratitude for Cambodia's support for Indonesia's chairmanship of ASEAN last year.

However, no information about the meeting with Jokowi was released by the Cambodian prime minister's official website or social media sites thus far.

Indonesia's discourse on rice imports comes amid a spike in rice prices in recent weeks. Back in September 2023, Jokowi decided to import rice from Cambodia in a bid to ensure that Indonesia had strategic rice reserves due to the impact of El Nino.

DANIEL A. FAJRI

Editor's Choice: Jokowi to Meet Australian PM, Discusses Defense Pact, IKN Investment

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News