Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto shared the Indonesian government’s vision for realising food self-sufficiency and boosting food crop production during a meeting with Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka in Jakarta on Thursday.
At the meeting, which took place at Merdeka Palace, Prabowo informed that national rice productivity has increased significantly in the six months since his tenure began.
“We would be very delighted if Fiji wants to participate and maybe send its youth to learn from our experience,” he said.
In addition to rice, the domestic agriculture sector is developing new, more productive seeds, for instance, for soybeans, he added.
According to Prabowo, soybean productivity in Indonesia is very low at just 1–2 tons per hectare.
New types of seeds could boost soybean production to more than 2.5 tons per hectare, which would enable farmers to compete with global market prices.
“We are also trying to continue to develop wheat, a type of wheat that can be planted in Indonesia, which was very difficult in previous years,” he disclosed.
He also discussed opportunities for cooperation wherein Fijian youth can learn about agriculture in Indonesia.
Considering that Fiji is the fourth-largest trade partner of Indonesia in Oceania, Prabowo said he hopes that their bilateral cooperation in economy and trade will continue, especially amid the current global economic landscape.
“It is more important for us to cooperate to achieve good relations between our countries,” he added.
Meanwhile, President Prabowo Subianto has invited young people in Fiji to pursue education in various educational institutions in Indonesia, such as in fields such as engineering, vocational training, and agriculture.
In a joint statement with Prime Minister of Fiji, Sitiveni Rabuka, President Prabowo stated that the Indonesian government is committed to continually strengthening people-to-people relations of both countries.
“We invite Fiji to send its youth to study at our educational institutions in the fields of vocational education, engineering, and agriculture,” he remarked.
Prabowo affirmed that Indonesia supports cooperation in enhancing human resource capacity and relations between the communities of Fiji and Indonesia.
In this context, he affirmed the Indonesian government’s commitment to sustaining and expanding scholarship partnerships with developing countries and scholarships for young people in Fiji.
Prabowo stated that Fiji has been a good friend and an important partner for Indonesia in the Pacific region.
“We both are Pacific nations, both are island nations, we share many common interests, we face similar challenges, and we both uphold the principles of mutual respect among nations,” President Prabowo stated.
The official visit from Prime Minister Rabuka at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Thursday, marked the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between their countries.
