The Indonesian and Chilean governments have agreed to strengthen cooperation in the agricultural sector through technology exchange and strengthening bilateral trade. This agreement was reached in a meeting between Indonesian Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman and Chilean Minister of Agriculture Esteban Valenzuela Van Treek, at the Ministry of Agriculture Headquarters, Jakarta (19/5). One of the main focuses of the cooperation is the development of agricultural technology, especially water resource management. Chile, which has long experience in dealing with extreme drought for 14 years due to El Nino, is considered to have a resilient and relevant water management system to be adopted in Indonesia to deal with the impacts of climate change.
In addition, Chile introduced a water-efficient rice variety that only requires 40% of normal water requirements, amidst the threat of a climate crisis. In the trade sector, Chile has proposed a desire to export milk and potatoes to Indonesia. Minister of Agriculture Amran welcomed the proposal positively, but emphasized that evaluation of domestic production and needs remains a priority, especially for potatoes. Meanwhile, Indonesia is open to importing milk from Chile, considering that domestic production is still limited compared to national consumption needs of 3.8 million tons per year. Chile also expressed interest in exporting live cattle to Indonesia. On the other hand, Indonesia is encouraging increased exports of palm oil to the Chilean market as a form of mutually beneficial partnership. The proposal was welcomed positively by Chile. "The most important thing is mutually beneficial collaboration between the two countries," said Minister of Agriculture Amran. This meeting also marked the strengthening of the strategic positions of the two countries in the international cooperation platform.
