Kadin Seeks to Strengthen Agricultural Cooperation with Chile

The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) is promoting the strengthening of cooperation in the agricultural sector with the Republic of Chile, in line with efforts to expand mutually beneficial trade and investment partnerships between the two countries. As part of these efforts, Kadin Indonesia Chairman Anindya Novyan Bakrie received an audience from the Ambassador of the Republic of Chile to Indonesia, Mario Ignacio Artaza Loyola, in Jakarta on Thursday, to discuss various strategic cooperation opportunities in the agricultural sector. In his official statement, Anindya assessed the Republic of Chile as an important partner for Indonesia, particularly due to its experience as a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which can serve as a reference in promoting increased investment. “Chile is very attractive because the Republic of Chile has joined the OECD. That means, of course, investments; there, the OECD has many countries that trust higher investment standards, and this we can get more investments that we need, which means for jobs and so on,” said Anin, his familiar nickname. In addition, Anin emphasised that both countries already have a strong foundation for cooperation through membership in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) as well as the Indonesia-Chile Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IC-CEPA), which needs to be continuously optimised. The focus of agricultural cooperation is one of the main concerns, particularly regarding the potential for importing live livestock from Chile to support domestic needs. “We have a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement from 2017 that we want to enhance. We export a lot of automotive components, as well as footwear, but we also get many agricultural products, including efforts for cattle, for live cattle, to help with milk and also protein for Nutritious Free Meals,” explained Anin. Meanwhile, the Ambassador of the Republic of Chile to Indonesia, Mario Ignacio Artaza Loyola, conveyed optimism about improving economic relations between the two countries, both in terms of trade and investment. “We want to strengthen the existing cooperation and encourage more active trade in the future,” he said. He also sees great opportunities to expand investments, including in the industrial sector and downstreaming, which is considered potential for joint development. According to him, amid increasingly tight global competition, collaboration between countries is key to opening new opportunities in various sectors.