Vietnam and Indonesia collaborate to enhance food security

Minister Le Minh Hoan highlighted the importance of this meeting, considering the recent celebration of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the strategic cooperation between the two nations. This presents a chance for the two ministries to engage in a dialogue and deliberate on the directions for collaboration, initiating a fresh phase in agricultural cooperation between Vietnam and Indonesia.

To enhance agricultural collaboration between the two nations in the future, Minister Le Minh Hoan suggested that both parties instruct their specialized agencies and focal points to actively share information and collaborate in sharing and implementing cutting-edge scientific and technological advancements. He proposed enhancing agricultural commerce between the two nations to achieve a more equitable exchange in the future.

The minister also suggested that both parties collaborate to create an Action Plan after the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, with the aim of promoting stronger, more substantial, and efficient agricultural cooperation between the two nations.

Both parties reached a consensus to enhance collaboration in guaranteeing food security, exchanging market intelligence, advancing scientific and technological progress, and fostering government-to-government trading procedures. Their objective is to form an investment alliance in the rice industry to directly connect the demands of Indonesian rice importers with Vietnamese rice producers.

On improving trade relationships and market development in the Halal food industry, leveraging the production capacities and market conditions of each country, the minister urged Indonesia to facilitate the entry of Halal items from Vietnam into the Indonesian market and to assist enterprises from both countries in boosting the export of Halal cuisine to other nations.

In addition, he proposed that both parties will continue to provide mutual support in engaging in global and local conferences about food security, sustainable agriculture, reducing emissions, and strengthening resilience to natural disasters.

The Indonesian Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman, welcomed the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's suggestion to extend the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on agricultural cooperation which had ended in June 2023. In addition, he echoed the proposal to create a collaborative agricultural task force, which he saw as a platform for technical teams from both nations to engage in discussions and pinpoint specific areas of agricultural collaboration that would be advantageous for both countries.

Indonesia successfully attained rice self-sufficiency between 2017 and 2019, in accordance with its primary agricultural development program. However, the occurrence of the El Niño phenomenon and geopolitical tensions have resulted in a decrease of approximately 4 million tons in Indonesia's rice production, which has harmed its agriculture industry. In response to these crisis-induced issues and in preparation for probable droughts and floods, the Indonesian government has promptly implemented targeted short-term measures to enhance the country's rice production. These efforts involve increasing the size of cultivation areas by implementing a program to enhance the productivity of swampland for rice farming on an annual basis. Minister Sulaiman stated his keen interest in acquiring knowledge from Vietnam in this particular field.

Indonesia has bolstered its food security initiatives by improving programs for essential commodities such as rice, corn, and soybeans. This includes supplying farmers with high-quality inputs and promoting the expansion of poultry, dairy cattle, beef, and egg production. Indonesia has set a goal to become a major food exporter on a worldwide scale by 2033. The country recognizes the significance of increasing its agricultural output in order to decrease reliance on imports caused by El Niño and to achieve self-sufficiency for its population of around 278 million individuals.

Minister Sulaiman sought assistance from the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to bolster Indonesia's agricultural sector through its key initiatives. This encompasses the strategies of diversifying and refining the quality of rice to attain yields of approximately 10 tons per hectare, innovating modern agricultural technology specifically designed for rice cultivation in swampy regions, improving water management practices in agriculture, and promoting the adoption of digital and precision agriculture techniques.

Minister Sulaiman showed a keen interest in fostering deeper and closer collaboration with Vietnam in the field of agriculture to accomplish these objectives.

Under the framework of the dialogue, Minister Le Minh Hoan and Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the meeting to enhance agricultural collaboration between their respective countries.