Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced that both countries inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for agriculture, during his first official visit to Amman on April 14.
The agreement was signed by the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Indonesia Andi Amran Sulaiman and the Minister of Agriculture of Jordan Khaled Huneifat.
It was one of the three MoU signings witnessed by Prabowo King Abdullah II of Jordan at Al Husseiniya Palace.
“Agriculture is the foundation of food security and economic diplomacy. This cooperation opens up great opportunities for Indonesia and Jordan to grow together in the agricultural sector,” said Amran in a statement published by the ministry.
The agreement aims to promote agricultural trade and investment and facilitation of market access for agricultural products between both countries.
The scope of the cooperation also covers the exchange of scientific and technical information, which Prabowo had expressed interest in.
“Jordan has advanced technology in agriculture, and we want to learn about it. I brought my Minister of Agriculture on this visit, and I hope there will be real follow-up on all the issues we discussed,” he said.
The MoU also mentioned the implementation of training and capacity-building programs as well as collaboration on internships and exhibition participation.
During their visit to Amman, the Indonesian delegation conducted a field review to assess the region’s agricultural and environmental conditions.
It later conducted meetings with key agricultural business leaders in Jordan.
A mutually beneficial agreement
Indonesia said the agreement confirmed “Indonesia’s position as a strategic partner in global agricultural cooperation and shows the government’s seriousness in building cross-country synergy to strengthen national and regional food security.”
It highlighted the strong complementary nature of both nations in this sector.
“This cooperation is very relevant because Indonesia and Jordan have the potential to complement each other. Indonesia excels in the production of tropical commodities such as palm oil, spices, and rubber. Meanwhile, Jordan is one of the largest phosphate producers in the world and has advantages in dryland farming technology and water management.”
In addition to technical cooperation, the shared characteristic of having Muslim majority populations presents significant opportunities for developing the halal food industry.
