Indonesia to develop agro-biotechnology

Indonesia to develop agro-biotechnology

CIAWI, Bogor, West Java: Minister for Research and Technology
B.J. Habibie says Indonesia will intensify its use of
biotechnology to develop the agribusiness industry.

"Agriculture has to be developed by applying biotechnology to
spur the agribusiness industry as well as to improve farmers'
standard of living," he said, while visiting a privately-owned
horticulture and floriculture project here yesterday.

"We can live without airplanes or ships but not without
proteins and carbohydrates from food crops such soybeans,
carrots, tomatoes and peppers. And the horticulture and
floriculture commodities have excellent prospects in the local
and international market," he said.

The 10-hectare farming project in the mountainous resort
applies biotechnology, with the help of experts from the
Netherlands, to develop floricultural and horticultural
commodities. Beside having 13 large green houses where the two
commodities are developed, it has also set up its own research
center and employed about 100 skilled workers.

Project manager Sigit said that the project, which had also
been visited by President Soeharto in 1991, was running short of
funds. He added that the project did not yet have enough money to
develop the various kinds of plants that would help develop the
agribusiness industry across the country.

He said that the farming project was working in cooperation
with the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) and many state-
owned companies under the Ministry of Finance to pioneer
developing hydroponics in Indonesia.

Habibie, who also chairs the National Research Board (DRN) and
the Agency for Research and Application of technology (BPPT),
promised to help develop the project to help make it an exemplary
project of horticulture and floriculture for the rest of the
country. (rms)