Jakarta (ANTARA) - President of Rwanda Paul Kagame and Agriculture Minister of Liberia, Alexander Nuetah, lauded Indonesia for successfully ramping up agricultural productivity despite weathering a prolonged drought induced by El Nino.

According to a statement issued by the Agriculture Ministry in Jakarta, President Kagame said he is amazed by the way Indonesia has rapidly developed its agriculture sector.

He extended his compliment on Tuesday before leaving Indonesia for his homeland after attending the 2nd Indonesia-Africa Forum, held in Badung, Bali province, from September 1–3, 2024.

Minister Nuetah conveyed a similar statement, noting that the Indonesian government has been successful in utilizing modern technology to boost the country's agricultural productivity.

While Liberia is making all-out efforts to achieve food self-sufficiency, the country's rice production is still stuck at a low level of 1.2 tons per hectare, he informed.

Nuetah expressed the hope that Indonesia would be willing to send its food experts to help Liberia advance its agriculture sector.

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He said that he envisions Liberia making a big agricultural leap by making the most of technologies, following in the footsteps of Indonesia.

During his visit to Indonesia, the Liberian minister also presented his Indonesian counterpart Andi Amran Sulaiman with a book on the Liberians Feed Yourselves 2024–2030 agenda signed by Liberian President Joseph Nyuma Boakai.

Meanwhile, Minister Sulaiman instructed officials at his ministry's international cooperation bureau to draft a memorandum of understanding on cooperation with Liberia.

He also said that the Indonesian government has set the target of opening three million hectares of rice fields to support Indonesia in its journey toward realizing food self-sufficiency and becoming a global food barn.

Earlier, President Joko Widodo, accompanied by Sulaiman, received the Agricola Medal from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) at the State Palace, Jakarta, on August 30.

The FAO presents the award to global figures and leaders for their notable contributions and staunch commitment to elevating people's living standards and their great support for the organization's vision of achieving universal food resilience.

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Translator: Muhammad H, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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