REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Susi Pudjiastuti has lauded the cooperation between Indonesia and Hungary in the field of sustainable aquaculture and fisheries.

"It should be implemented as soon as possible to improve the management of ponds, fish food, and monitoring technology," Minister Pudjiastuti noted in a statement, here, Tuesday.

The minister and Hungarian Agriculture Minister Sandor Fazekas signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in aquaculture and fisheries in a ceremony witnessed by President Joko Widodo and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Jakarta on February 1, 2016.

The cooperation will focus on the development of sustainable aquaculture and fisheries, exchange of information on market accessibility of fishery products, research and development, and capacity building through training, and the exchanges of experts and staff members.

"Besides this, it could also improve market accessibility, particularly for ornamental fish," the minister noted.

Prime Minister Orban and President Widodo held a bilateral meeting during his state visit to Jakarta on Feb. 1.

Orban also met Vice President Jusuf M. Kalla on the sidelines of the Hungarian-Indonesian Business Forum organized in Jakarta on the same day.

Based on data of the Eurostat study institute, the value of bilateral trade between Hungary and Indonesia during the 2010-2015 period reached the highest figure at 181.091 million euros in 2011.

In 2014, the trade balance between the two countries was recorded at 134.51 million euros, or an increase of 7.30 percent from 126.22 million euros in the previous year.

Indonesia's exports to Hungary increased by 3.68 percent from 95.05 million euros in 2013 to 112.40 million euros in 2014.

In the meantime, the value of its imports from Hungary decreased by 18.53 percent from 31.17 million euros recorded in 2013 to 22.11 million euros in 2014.

Indonesia recorded a significant increase in its exports to Hungary, from 36.12 million euros during the January-May 2014 period to 59.04 million euros in the corresponding period in 2015, or up 63.48 percent.

Indonesia's export commodities to Hungary included electronic components, printing machines, and rubber, among others, while its main import commodities comprised telecommunication devices, machinery, and antibiotics, among others.