Jakarta (ANTARA) - Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman and Singapore’s Minister of Sustainability and Environment, Grace Fu, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in food security and agricultural technology on Monday.The MoU signing, held as part of a meeting on strengthening bilateral cooperation in several sectors, was witnessed by President Prabowo Subianto and Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
In a statement released on Monday, Sulaiman said that the cooperation agreement has opened opportunities for Indonesia and Singapore to strengthen their food and agricultural sectors.
“Indonesia is open to building mutually beneficial agricultural cooperation. We welcome cooperation and joint commitment from Singapore to encourage a better agricultural sector,” he added.
President Prabowo described the agreement as an important foundation for encouraging the adoption of more modern and environmentally friendly agricultural technology, besides guaranteeing the availability of sufficient and quality food for the community.
“As an effort to ensure Indonesia’s food security, we welcome PM Wong’s offer to open up the transfer of modern agricultural technology and sustainable post-harvest practices,” Prabowo said at a Leaders’ Retreat press conference in Singapore.
Meanwhile, PM Wong said that the cooperation is an important step for both countries to improve food quality and safety.
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Under the cooperation agreement, his side will provide support for Indonesia’s young farmer development program through the exchange of information on best practices in agricultural technology.
“We understand that food security is a top priority sector for Indonesia. Therefore, Singapore will support it through a young farmer development program to exchange best practices for agricultural technology solutions,” he explained.
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Under the MoU, the two countries have agreed to conduct technical exchanges on food safety, such as laboratory inspections and testing; technical exchanges on agricultural technology, such as urban farming technology; and electronic exchange of food-related sanitation certificates, among others.
The cooperation will cover networking and business matching sessions, capacity building, and technical and knowledge exchanges, among others.
