Malaysia and Indonesia have reaffirmed their commitment to increasing bilateral and regional cooperation in agricultural and food security. In a statement issued today, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security emphasised the importance of bilateral collaboration.
The debate occurred during a courtesy visit by Indonesia’s Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Arif Havas Oegroseno, to Malaysia’s Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister, Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup. Both sides looked into methods to improve food security efforts and agricultural alliances to ensure long-term viability.
Malaysia and Indonesia have close diplomatic and economic relations, therefore agricultural cooperation is a crucial area of mutual interest. Arthur emphasised that Malaysia, as ASEAN Chair this year, is in charge of one of the Priority Economic Deliverables under the ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry. The PEDS will be presented at the 47th AMAF meeting in September, and Arthur asked ASEAN members to promote a strong agricultural future.
Arthur also asked Indonesia to participate in the Mini Malaysia Agricultural, Horticulture, and Agrotourism Exhibition, which will be held in coinciding with the 47th ASEAN Summit later this year.
In 2023, Indonesia was Malaysia’s third-largest trading partner for agri-food and agricultural products, with a trade value of RM18.88 billion.
