JAKARTA: The Indonesian Agriculture Ministry has strengthened cooperation in the agriculture sector with Timor Leste’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Forestry (MALFF).
Deputy Minister of Agriculture Harvick Hasnul Qolbi on Friday said that his ministry is committed to maintaining the quality of agricultural commodities through the provision of various types of assistance such as coaching, certification, and food safety guarantees.
The guarantee has been proven by the acceptance of Indonesian livestock products, especially poultry, in several countries such as Singapore, Japan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and most recently, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to him.
“This is a form of our commitment to support Indonesia as a world food barn in 2045. We hope that Timor Leste can participate as well,” he added.
As per data recorded by Statistics Indonesia (BPS), agricultural trade in Indonesia and Timor Leste experienced positive growth this year, with the export volume growing 8 to 11 percent compared to 2022.
Indonesia’s agricultural exports to Timor Leste include wheat, soybeans, green beans, tomatoes, oranges, sugar, milk, feed, and poultry products, Qolbi noted.
Meanwhile, its agricultural imports from Timor Leste comprise vanilla, coconut, coffee, cloves, peanuts, porang, and leather.
Meanwhile, Junior Minister of Animal Husbandry of Timor Leste Jose Vieira de Aradjo said that the cooperation of the two countries in the agricultural sector, especially animal husbandry, has been intact for a long time and efforts have been made to improve it.
