China-Indonesia Food Security Tie-up Is Strategic. But First, Let’s Talk About Indonesia’s Concerns

A vendor waits for customers at a rice kiosk in Jakarta on February 28, 2024, amid rising prices and shortages of the staple in Indonesia. ADEK BERRY / AFP

The recent collaboration between Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) and China’s National Rice Research Institute (CNRRI) marks a significant step towards enhancing agricultural productivity and ensuring food security in the archipelago. However, several challenges such as cases of illegal fishing, inadequate infrastructure and lingering environmental and social concerns from existing Chinese investments remain.

Indonesia Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman’s visit to CNRRI in Hangzhou, China, initiated a collaborative effort to boost agricultural yields through advanced technologies and modern farming practices. Both countries hope to increase production and productivity, improve planting patterns for greater efficiency and sustainability, and reduce production costs through the utilization of state-of-the-art agricultural machinery and methods.

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by Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat

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