VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Erick Thohir. ANTARA/HO-Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Indonesian government explored cooperation in the field of agriculture with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), during a visit of Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi and Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Erick Thohir to Abu Dhabi.

Indonesia explored cooperation in the agricultural field with the UAE-based Elite Agro company, which planned to invest in agribusiness in West Java, Retno Marsudi said during a virtual press conference from Abu Dhabi, on Saturday evening.

The two ministers requested a support from the UAE government for the cooperation, and were scheduled to hold meetings with CEOs of several local companies including Elite Agro during the visit.

"As the final part of this visit, both of us will hold several meetings including with ADIA, then with Masdar, with ADNOC, and also with Elite Agro," she said.

She said that the UAE government showed a strong commitment to supporting strengthening cooperation in various fields, including food.

Meanwhile, Minister Erick Thohir said there was a large market potential, not only in the context of bilateral trade between Indonesia and the UAE, but also the UAE as a distribution hub for the Middle East and Africa region.

Thohir was upbeat that bilateral cooperation in food production would help improve the quality of Indonesia's food products.

The visit of the two Indonesian Ministers to Abu Dhabi was to follow-up a telephone conversation between President Joko Widodo and the Crown Prince of the UAE, Sheikh Muhammad bin Zayed, on August 17. The two leaders discussed cooperation amid the pandemic, especially related to COVID-19 handling and cooperation in economic, energy and food.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the UAE has imported micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSME) products from Indonesia, such as fruits, fresh vegetables and dried food products. (ANTARA)

Presidential spokesman Fadjroel Rachman stressed that President Joko Widodo has no plan to reshuffle his cabinet and is still focusing on the handling of COVID-19 pandemic.

"All ministries in the Indonesia Onward Cabinet have focused on the handling of COVID-19 and the recovery and transformation of national economy. Hence, there is no plan to reshuffle the cabinet," Rachman said in a statement in Jakarta on Sunday.

The country, he continued, would need to work hard and fast to create innovation.

President Jokowi has emphasized on working speed and innovation in central as well as local government, and collaboration of all stakeholders to escape from the health and economic crisis.

Rachman said, the president has instructed his aides to remain focus on their works and use the momentum of crisis to make a big leap.

Previously State Secretary Minister Pratikno said that people would need the government's fast and focused works to mitigate the pandemic. All ministers should also work in synergy to tackle the crisis.

"Once again, there is no cabinet reshuffle. President Joko Widodo has instructed all ministers to focus on their works, focus on efforts to handle the crisis, and focus on ways to turn the crisis into big leap in all sector, and take a fundamental reform as a pre-condition for advanced Indonesia," Rachman said. (ANTARA)

Director of seedling horticulture at the Agriculture Ministry, Sukarman, and Batang vice district head Suyono harvest garlic at Pranten village, Batang district, Central Java. (ANTARA/Kutnadi)

The Agriculture Ministry is targeting to make Indonesia self-reliant in garlic production in 2024.

“We are continuing to boost the expansion of garlic plantation and production to reduce our dependence on imports,” director of seedling horticulture at the Agriculture Ministry, Sukarman, said in Batang, Central Java, on Saturday.

Indonesia's garlic needs have reached 500 thousand tons per year, while national production currently stands at 88 thousand tons per year, he noted.

“So, we still run short (of garlic) very much. For our part, we will boost (production) through the plantation expansion program and assistance for garlic growers," he said.

In 2019, the country's garlic plantation covered an area of 12 thousand hectares, and garlic production can be increased to 102 thousand tons in 2020, he said.

To become self-reliant in garlic production and increase production by fivefold, Indonesia still needs 70 thousand hectares under garlic plantation, he said.

The area under garlic plantation will be gradually increased not only in Java, but also in Sumatra, he said.

"Production can be increased in the next four years so we can reach the target of self-reliance in garlic production," he remarked. (ANTARA)

The closing of the 13th Asia Pacific Informatics Olympiad (APIO) 2020 competition in Jakarta, Friday (21/8). (ANTARA / HO- Public Relations Ministry of Education and Culture)

The Indonesian team managed to pocket six medals -- one gold medal, two silver and three bronze medals -- at the 13th Asia Pacific Informatics Olympiad (APIO) 2020 organized online.

Acting Head of the Ministry of Education and Culture's National Achievement Center, Asep Sukmayadi, congratulated the medal winners.

"Today, we are all proud. A great generation in the field of informatics is here. The responsibility rests on your shoulders to build an Asia-Pacific information society in future and that a just and civilized global information society is laid," Sukmayadi noted in a statement in Jakarta, Saturday.

APIO is organized by the Ministry of Education and Culture (Kemendikbud), through the National Achievement Center (Puspresnas), in collaboration with the Indonesian Computer Olympiad Team Alumni Association (IA-TOKI).

Sukmayadi remarked that competition and champions are not everything since the real champions are all the participants.

“Those with integrity that are able to work together, build networks, play a role, and deliver achievements to bring about changes in a just and civilized society," Sukmayadi noted.

Rama Aryasuta Pangestu, a student of the Kanisius Jakarta High School, expressed pride and contentment over his achievements and expressed readiness to make the Indonesian nation proud at the 2020 International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) event in next September.

"Although I did not get a perfect score, I am happy to be in the gold medal category. For the IOI 2020, I will be even more enthusiastic about studying, and hopefully, I can bring back gold," Pangestu noted.

Of the five other medals, Nicholas Patrick, a student of SMA Cita Hati Christian School, Surabaya, East Java, and Pikatan Arya Bramajati, a student of SMA Semesta BBS Semarang, Central Java, were the silver medal winners, while the three bronze medalists were Muhammad Irham Luthfi, a student of the SMA Cahaya Madani Banten Boarding School; Maximilliano Utomo Quok, a student of Xin Zhong School; and Edbert Geraldy Cangdinata a student of SMA Sutomo 1 Medan, North Sumatra.

A total of 852 participants from 33 countries registered themselves to participate in the APIO 2020. Of the 852 participants, 717 participants from 33 countries took part in the APIO 2020 contest.

Based on APIO’s regulations, participants garnering the top six rank in their country and all participants in their country securing the same score as the sixth rank in their nation become the official participants of APIO 2020.

In the end, there were 241 official participants of the APIO 2020, of which 18 got full marks. Through calculations in the APIO regulations, 23 participants, with a score of at least 266 points, secure gold medals; 38 participants, with a score of at least 200 points, receive silver medals; while 59 official participants, with a score of at least 96 points, win bronze medals.

The championship held on August 14-21, 2020, was themed "Informatics for a Better Education and Life". Participants from their respective locations across the nation work on questions online.

"Learning in this period (COVID-19) is not easy, but this is the time for us to innovate. It is time to conduct various experiments, listen to our conscience, and learn from COVID-19, so that we can all become better individuals in future," Sukmayadi stated.(ANTARA)