"The Netherlands has a reputation as the second-largest agricultural exporter in the world despite being a small country. That is extraordinary and (serves as) an inspiration for us," he noted in a statement on Wednesday.
The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the fields of sustainable agriculture, horticulture, greenhouse technology, and efforts to build the capacity of the younger generation of farmers.
The signing was carried out between the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture and the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food Security in Jakarta on Tuesday (June 17).
In the statement, Sudaryono affirmed that several Dutch companies had earlier shown interest in investing in Indonesia's agricultural sector despite facing several obstacles.
He then emphasized the importance of knowledge transfer in horticulture, greenhouse technology, superior seeds, and modern irrigation systems, which are essential to sustain the positive growth trend in Indonesia's agriculture sector.
He also highlighted achievements in national agricultural production, noting that national rice output rose by 52.45 percent in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period the previous year.
Corn production also grew by around 39.02 percent over the same period.
"We are also focused on horticulture development. The Netherlands has superior technology and experience. We want our younger generation to be involved in this sector, especially through the use of greenhouse technology," he remarked.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food Security of the Netherlands, Guido Landheer, thanked the Indonesian government for its warm welcome and said the visit reflected the close and longstanding relationship between the two countries.
He explained that the purpose of his visit was to share knowledge and collaborate to improve food security in Indonesia.
"(Our goal is also) to work together with farmers and the Indonesian government to go further in the food security mission," Landheer noted.
He acknowledged that food security is a critical global issue. Hence, through the Indonesia-Netherlands MoU, both nations agreed to exchange knowledge and build the production capacity of local farmers sustainably.
"We are not here to export products, such as tomatoes, to Indonesia but to share knowledge for Indonesian farmers to produce their own with the right technology. We also want to learn from Indonesia's experience. This is a two-way collaboration," he affirmed.
The MoU signed by the two countries aims to promote economic, scientific, and technological cooperation in the fields of agriculture, nature and biodiversity, rural development, and agribusinessRelated news: Minister invites Dutch firms to join Java giant sea wall project
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Translator: Muhammad Harianto, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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