To this end, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Sudaryono had discussed this matter with the UAE Ambassador to Indonesia Abdulla Salem Al Dhaheri during his visit to the Ministry of Agriculture office in Jakarta on Friday (May 16).
"We discussed opportunities to increase exports of Indonesian agricultural commodities to the global market through the UAE's logistics and distribution networks," Sudaryono confirmed here Sunday.
According to him, the UAE is an important partner due to its economic cooperation with Indonesia and close relationship between the two countries' leaders.
He then 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 such as meat processing, commodity exports to the Middle East, and reaching the African and European markets," he informed.
Sudaryono said that 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.
According to data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the trade balance between Indonesia and the UAE in agricultural products experienced a surplus of around US$499.89 million in 2024.
Related news: Prabowo targets global supremacy for 10 commodities: Ministry
He also conveyed Indonesia's openness to productive investments that create jobs, increase added value, and strengthen national food security.
By pursuing the international cooperation, he hopes that Indonesia's global role can be strengthened as an agricultural country that actively contributes to the world's food supply chain.
On the same occasion, Ambassador Al Dhaheri welcomed the initiative where he highlighted the implementation of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), signed in 2022, that has shown positive results.
In 2023, the two countries have witnessed the benefit of CEPA, including a significant improvement in the trade balance. He saw a great potential to bridge the interests of both countries, he remarked.
The UAE expressed its interest in continuing investment 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, he added.
Related news: Govt plans 25,000 emergency warehouses for surplus produce
Translator: Muhammad Harianto, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
