Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia and Indonesia intend to explore the potential for developing large-scale plantations in Central Kalimantan and South Papua. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) announced that this initiative was discussed during a recent meeting between its minister, Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, and his Indonesian counterpart, Dr. Andi Amran Sulaiman.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, both leaders also agreed to explore cross-border agricultural cooperation opportunities in West Kalimantan and North Kalimantan. “The discussion focused on strategic areas of mutual interest, such as the rice, dairy, animal feed, coconut, and grain corn industries, which play a vital role in the food security agendas of both countries,” the ministry stated. Andi Amran also shared Indonesia’s agricultural transformation initiatives, including the use of smart technology, a three-season padi planting system per year, and the development of high-yield, resilient padi varieties such as IPB 9G.

Mohamad was on a working visit to Indonesia that began on April 20. The statement added that Mohamad also held discussions on cooperation in the padi sector, food supply chain management, strategic stockpiling, and food logistics systems with the leadership of Perusahaan Umum BULOG, Indonesia’s main agency for managing staple food stocks.

The working visit reflects Malaysia’s commitment to addressing global challenges and building a competitive and sustainable food system, in line with the country’s pledge to strengthen the regional food security agenda as ASEAN Chair.