Indonesia wants to collaborate with Taiwan as it works to boost its agricultural and livestock industries, and welcomes Taiwanese investment, said Prihasto Setyanto, director-general of horticulture at the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture.
In an interview with the Central News Agency, Setyanto, who has visited Taiwan twice, expressed his admiration for Taiwan’s agricultural progress and advanced laboratory equipment.
He said that as Indonesia works toward being self-sufficient in food production, the nation welcomes foreign investment, including from Taiwan.
Photo: CNA
Setyanto said Indonesia is implementing a “free lunch for students” policy, an initiative led by Indonesian president-elect Prabowo Subianto to combat child malnutrition.
To achieve this goal, Indonesia plans to expand its agricultural and livestock sectors, integrating advanced technologies including organic cultivation and drones.
Setyanto cited the example of imported milk, noting that Indonesia imports about 90 to 95 percent of its milk, but wants to develop domestic production.
“The purpose of these programs is to reduce stunting and invest in our people,” he said.
Setyanto also expressed satisfaction with an Indonesian internship program, which has sent nearly 100 young people to Taiwan’s farms and fisheries annually since 2019, saying he believes it enhances skills and knowledge transfers.
However, Setyanto said that land available for agricultural purposes on Java island, Indonesia’s densely populated economic hub, is almost fully utilized.
To maximize land utilization and achieve food self-sufficiency, the island needs to focus on intensive farming, through multicrop cultivation and liberal use of fertilizers, he said.
Reflecting on Taiwan’s expertise, Setyanto also expressed the hope that Taiwan could help Indonesia’s seed industry improve.
Despite all the challenges, Setyanto said he remains optimistic about Indonesia’s ability to meet its food demands due to ample available land in regions such as Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua.
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
Tigerair Taiwan and China Airlines (CAL) today announced that several international flights were canceled or rescheduled due to Typhoon Ragasa. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) has maintained sea and land warnings for the typhoon. Its storm circle reached the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) on Taiwan's southern tip at 11am today. Tigerair Taiwan said it canceled Monday's IT551/IT552 Taoyuan-Da Nang, IT606/IT607 Taoyuan-Busan and IT602 Taoyuan-Seoul Incheon flights. Tomorrow, cancelations include IT603 Seoul Incheon-Taoyuan, as well as flights between Taoyuan and Sapporo, Osaka, Tokyo Narita, Okinawa, Fukuoka, Saga, Tokyo Haneda, Nagoya, Asahikawa and Jeju. On Wednesday, the IT321/IT322 Kaohsiung-Macau round-trip would also be canceled. CAL announced that today's
Three tropical depressions yesterday intensified into tropical storms, with one likely to affect Taiwan as a typhoon, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The three storms, named Mitag, Ragasa and Neoguri, were designated as storms No. 17 to 19 for this year, the CWA said. Projected routes indicate that Ragasa is most likely to affect Taiwan, it said. As of 2am today, Ragasa was 1,370km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) on the southernmost tip of Taiwan. It was moving west-northwest before turning northwest, slowing from 11kph to 6kph, the agency said. A sea warning for Ragasa is unlikely before Sunday afternoon, but its outer rim
RSS