Ministry Of Agriculture To Hold Exposition Alongside APEC Summit

Denpasar, Bali, Sept 19 (Antara) - The Ministry of Agriculture will be organising an exposition, displaying Indonesian agricultural products, from October 1 to 9, 2013, during which the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Summit will also be held. The exhibition will be held in Jimbaran, while the APEC Summit will be held in Nusa Dua, said Head of the Bali Agricultural Office Ida Bagus Wisnuardana on Thursday. On the sidelines of the meetings, delegations of the APEC Summit will be invited to view the exposition, which will display potential agricultural products from various regions in Indonesia. Bali will be promoting commodities such as coffee, salak fruit, melons, oranges, and vegetables at the exposition. Around six thousand participants from 21 countries are expected to attend the APEC Summit and pre-meetings, and close to two thousand 2,000 journalists from various countries are expected to cover the event. Meanwhile, Indonesian Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan mentioned that agricultural packages should be prioritised on the APEC summit`s agenda, and interests of developed and developing nations should converge. "We believe that (the discussion of) agricultural packages is important because of the varied interests of developed and developing nations, especially the United States and India," stated the minister. The minister also highlighted two other important trade issues that should be addressed - trade facilities and efforts to enhance the market in the least-developed countries (LDC packages). All three issues are on Indonesia`s agenda for the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministerial meeting, scheduled for the end of 2013. The discussion on agricultural packages is expected to bring about changes in WTO regulations on public stockholding to raise the limits on subsidised food stockpiles. Wirjawan has repeatedly emphasised the importance of making progress on the issue of agricultural packages, claiming that it would build a strong foundation for other important issues such as the facilitation of trade.