REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - Indonesia and Australia have agreed to give priority to cooperating in creating secure supplies of red meat, according to the Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM).

The two neighboring countries reached agreement at their second meeting on Indonesia-Australia partnership on food security in the red meat and cattle sector recently, BKPM Deputy Chief for Promotion Affairs Himawan Hariyoga said in a press statement released on Friday.

He noted that the cooperation was aimed at creating synergy in the management of the two countries' strengths and potentials in red meat and cattle and improving competition in the investment sector, which would support Indonesia's food security.

Indonesian officials said they did not want the country to be a mere market for beef from Australia and other countries, but must become part of the global supply chain, he said. Therefore, through the partnership with Australia, Indonesia could market halal meat products to ASEAN, Asia and the Middle East, in line with its efforts to strengthen its national food security, he added.

"Of course, to benefit from the opportunities we need to establish partnerships with countries that have successfully developed it. By doing so, we can optimally develop cattle breeding as part of our self reliance in food," he said.

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