Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Agriculture Ministry and the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) strengthened cooperation in agricultural research and innovation to support food self-sufficiency and downstream development.
The strengthened cooperation was marked by the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Jakarta on Tuesday.
"The Ministry of Agriculture and BRIN have agreed to strengthen collaboration and synergy, particularly in research and the downstream development of agricultural research products," Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said.
The agreement opens broader opportunities for researchers to develop innovations that directly improve agricultural productivity and farmers' welfare.
Amran said the collaboration is an important step in strengthening science- and technology-based agricultural development.
According to him, the partnership will accelerate the development of agricultural innovations capable of addressing national food-sector challenges, ranging from increasing production to adapting to climate change.
He added that food security covers not only rice, but also horticulture, plantations, livestock, and other subsectors supporting national food supplies.
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As part of the cooperation, the Agriculture Ministry has opened access for BRIN researchers to use its laboratories, research centers, and technical units across Indonesia.
The facilities include ministry research and technical offices located in all 38 provinces.
In support of food self-sufficiency, the ministry plans to develop commodity clusters with strong global demand, including cocoa, coffee, cashew nuts, sugarcane, soybeans, and garlic.
Researchers will be deployed directly to the development sites to ensure research findings can be quickly applied in the field.
Amran said soybeans and garlic are among the priority commodities because they offer significant opportunities to increase productivity and reduce import dependence.
Meanwhile, BRIN Head Arif Satria said the agency has produced numerous innovations ready to support Indonesia's agricultural transformation.
These include climate-resilient crop varieties, agricultural machinery, artificial intelligence, genomics, robotics, and smart farming systems.
According to Arif, modern agriculture requires multidisciplinary scientific support. Therefore, BRIN will direct its research capacity toward supporting the national agricultural development agenda.
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Translator: Muhammad Harianto, Raka Adji Editor: Anton Santoso Copyright © ANTARA 2026
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