KBRN, Jakarta: Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Indonesia Sudaryono received a visit from the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Indonesia, Abdulla Salem Al Dhaheri, at the Ministry of Agriculture Office, Jakarta, Friday (16/5/2025). This meeting is part of an effort to strengthen the long-standing strategic partnership between Indonesia and the UAE.

In the meeting, the two parties discussed opportunities to increase exports of Indonesian agricultural commodities to the global market through the UAE's logistics and distribution network. The Deputy Minister of Agriculture called the UAE an important partner not only because of its economic cooperation, but also because of the close relationship between the country's leaders.

"The close relationship that has been established since the era of President Jokowi and is now continued by President Prabowo shows that there is strong chemistry between the two countries," said Sudaryono, as quoted from his official statement.

Furthermore, Sudaryono or who is familiarly called Mas Dar emphasized the importance of expanding the scale of ongoing cooperation, especially in terms of exports, downstreaming, and processing of agricultural products.

"We want to explore and continue the ongoing investments. Both meat processing, commodity exports to the Middle East, and reaching the African and European markets," said Sudaryono.

The UAE has been one of Indonesia's main trading partners in the Gulf region, especially for agricultural products such as eggs, chicken, fruits, palm oil and cloves.

"We want to increase exports. We want to increase the amount that we can export directly to the whole world, and we need those channels. One of the channels is through the United Arab Emirates," explained Deputy Minister of Agriculture Sudaryono.

Ambassador Al Dhaheri also welcomed this initiative. He highlighted the implementation of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) which has been signed since 2022 and has shown positive results.

"During 2023, we have seen the fruits of CEPA, including a significant improvement in the trade balance. We see great potential to bridge the interests of the two countries," said Al Dhaheri.

The UAE expressed its interest in continuing to invest in the agricultural and livestock processing sector in Indonesia, while encouraging the involvement of investors from both countries to realize a shared vision in the food sector.

According to BPS data, the trade balance between Indonesia and the UAE agricultural products experienced a surplus of around USD 499.89 million in 2024. Sudaryono also emphasized that Indonesia is open to productive investments that create jobs, increase added value, and strengthen national food security.

For the record, previously the Deputy Minister of Agriculture also received the Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Argentina, Agustin Tejeda Rodriguez, to discuss opportunities for cooperation in the livestock sector. Indonesia is opening up investment opportunities in beef and live cattle commodities from various countries, as long as they meet technical requirements and offer competitive prices.

By continuing to open up space for international cooperation, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Sudaryono hopes to strengthen Indonesia's global role as an agricultural country that actively contributes to the world's food supply chain.

Source : Ministry of Agriculture