French agricultural group extends aid

JAKARTA (JP): France's Center for International Cooperation in Agricultural Research for Development agreed here on Monday to continue giving technical assistance to the Indonesian government for another five years.

The agreement was signed by the director general of the center, Bernard Bachelier, and the head of the research and development agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Djoko Budianto.

Bachelier said it was important that his center continue its research collaboration with Indonesia in order to assist the country in its recovery from economic turmoil.

"We have reviewed our previous cooperation and we have set new research priorities considering the changing environment and the capability of Indonesia's agriculture sector," he announced following the signing of the agreement.

He said the aim of the cooperation remained the same, that is help Indonesia produce sufficient foodstuffs and reduce imports.

Bachelier said the new priorities would take into consideration the 1997 food crisis caused by El Nino induced droughts and the economic crisis which severely affected the agriculture and forestry sectors.

He said the collaboration program would focus on the management of farming requirements, such as fertilizers and pesticides, and water management for irrigated agriculture and rain-fed farming, to prevent drought damage.

"Priorities will be given to promote rice, soybean, vegetables, fruits, milk and meat self-sufficiency within Indonesia and to increase production of other commodities which have great potential in the export market, such as palm oil, rubber, coffee and cocoa," he said.

Bachelier said the center's projects usually emphasized on improving the production of estate crops, watershed management, agro-economy and forest inventory.

He said the center, in cooperation with the ministry's research and development agency, would also launch a project to promote agribusiness among smallholders through the improvement of upland farming in Semarang, Central Java, on Wednesday.

Minister of Agriculture Soleh Solahuddin said the prevailing impact of the country's worst-ever economic crisis had made agriculture the primary backbone and engine of economic recovery.

He said the center's cooperation was important because France had successfully developed its agriculture sector and had vast experience in developing the agriculture sector during the economic crisis.

The Paris-based center conducts a wide range of agricultural and forestry research projects in Asia and the Pacific region in close cooperation with host countries. It has been working in Indonesia for over 30 years.

The center will also sign another memorandum of understanding on Tuesday with the Ministry of Forestry and Plantations on cooperation in the forestry sector. (gis)