Agricultural and fishery cooperation
The Indonesia and Thailand Governments, through their Ministries of Agriculture, have been cooperating in the fields of agriculture, fishery, food crops and horticulture, forestry and livestock for over 20 years.
On Nov. 7, 1999, Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai pledged to President Abdurrahman Wahid during a meeting held in Bangkok, that the Thai government would strongly advise and caution Thai fishing companies operating in Indonesia's waters to strictly observe Indonesian laws and regulations, stressing a strong desire to cooperate on maritime issues.
From Nov. 17 to Nov. 19, Indonesia's Minister of Maritime Exploration Sarwono Kusumaatmadja discussed in Bangkok with the Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives of Thailand H.E. Pongpol Adireksarn and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand Dr. Surin Pitsuwan on further cooperation on fishery between the two countries.
The two Thai Ministers offered, on behalf of the Thai Government, to Minister Sarwono the following proposals: 1. That the two governments conclude an agreement on fishery covering two aspects: a. Technical cooperation including maritime research, survey and exploration; b. Framework for conclusion of business contracts on fishery between the two countries' private sectors. 2. That the Thai Government would be ready and willing to provide technical assistance to Indonesian fishing enterprises. 3. The Thai Agricultural Minister proposed an exchange of visits between the two ministers to continue discussion on the fishery issue, in the first month of 2000. 4. The Thai Foreign Minister also invited Minister Sarwono to lead a delegation of Indonesian businesspeople to Thai maritime provinces, to be followed by a similar visit by Minister Surin to Indonesian provinces during the first half of 2000.
Over 50 Thai agribusiness companies have been registered and are operating in Indonesia. PT Charoen Pok-Phand Indonesia concentrates on animal feed, chicken and shrimp farms. PT Indovetraco Makmur Abadi is engaged in import-export of animal health products. One of Indonesia's conglomerates, PT Djajanti Group, has enjoyed a long-standing business partnership with Thai counterparts.
Several Indonesian fishing companies in North Sumatra and Padang either have contracted or are having discussions with potential Thai partners. Of particular interest is the upcoming ministerial meeting of Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) to be hosted by the Thai Government in March 2000, further promoting business transactions and joint ventures.