RI - Sudan Sign Coop Agreement On Agriculture

Cairo, April 23 (Antara) - The governments of Indonesia and Sudan have signed a cooperation agreement on agriculture and animal husbandry. "The signing of the agreement on the establishment of a joint technical committee in the field of agriculture and animal husbandry was done on the sidelines of an official visit by Indonesian Minister of Agriculture Suswono in Sudan on Monday," the acting head of information, social and cultural affairs of the Indonesian embassy in Khartoum, Muhammad Syafri, said to ANTARA here on Tuesday. Sudan was represented by the minister of agriculture and irrigation, Abdul Halim Al Mutaafi, in the signing of the agreement. He said the signing was the follow up of the meeting between President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Sudan`s President Omar Al Bashir during the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit in Cairo last February. The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on the animal husbandry cooperation in 2007 following agreed minutes of the meeting between the two countries` agriculture ministers in 2002. Minister Suswono said Sudan has abundant natural resources while Indonesia has the technology and experience so that the two could cooperate in the two fields. "Minister Suswono has asked Indonesian businessmen to invest in the agriculture in Sudan especially cotton, rice and sugar cane plantations," he said. Minister Mutaafi on the occasion said the establishment of the joint technical committee was the initial step towards concrete cooperation. Indonesian Ambassador to Sudan Sujatmiko said the agreement could maximize Sudan`s agricultural potentials especially in rice, cotton and sugarcane plantations. "Sudan has been able to produce `basmati` rice in the White Nile and Nerica (New Rice for Africa) in Gezira. This offers an opportunity for Indonesia to supply fertilizers and agricultural equipment as well as skilled workers to this country," he said.