Indonesia, Russia to Sign MoU on Agriculture

KOMPAS.com – Indonesia and Russia are planning to sign a pact on agriculture cooperation in a bid to increase the bilateral economic relations of both countries.

The collaboration will include technical and research development, human resources capacity building, joint promotion, and increasing investment in the agriculture sector.

“A memorandum of understanding (MoU) is an important legal protection for the two countries to carry out various collaborations in the agriculture sector,” Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo said in a statement on Sunday, May 23.

The MoU will also be used as the basis for the authorities of both countries to establish a working group at the technical level, where the relevant officers will discuss action plans in the agriculture sector.

Also read: Indonesia’s Agriculture Sector Blossoms during Coronavirus Pandemic

Meanwhile, Russia’s Ambassador to Indonesia Lyudmila Georgievna Vorobieva expressed optimism that the agriculture cooperation will run smoothly as both countries are committed to supporting each other in the economic sector.

“Indonesia and Russia have different climates and the natural resources of both countries can complement each other,” Lyudmila said.

“We need palm oil products from Indonesia and Indonesia needs wheat from us,” she added.
The ministry recorded that the main export of Indonesian agricultural products to Russia is palm oil with a value of $467 million, coconut $40 million, cocoa $39 million, coffee $37 million, and rubber $32 million.

Meanwhile, Indonesia’s main imports from Russia include wheat, which reached $16 million, coriander six million US dollars, sugar cane two million US dollars, veterinary drugs three million US dollars, and processed vegetables $70,000.

Also read: Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture Gets Innovative to Achieve Food Security

“Indonesia experienced a trade surplus amounted to $624 million in the agricultural sector with Russia and the total trade value of the agricultural sector reached $677 million,” Minister Syahrul said.

The Minister hoped that Russia can help facilitate the acceleration of market access for several Indonesian agricultural commodities to the Russian market. “Indonesia is very rich in natural resources and has very good potential. We hope that Indonesia and Russia will establish cooperation in this sector,” he added.

Meanwhile, Lyudmila said that the Indonesian government supports the agricultural sector which contributes to the country’s economic growth, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

(Writer: Alek Kurniawan | Editor: Amalia Purnama Sari)

Source: https://money.kompas.com/read/2021/05/23/111028426/jalin-kerja-sama-bidang-pertanian-indonesia-dan-rusia-lakukan-transfer.