Visit IPB University, Indonesian Ambassador to Kuwait Opens Opportunities for Collaboration in Agriculture and Fisheries

IPB University received a visit from the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia (RI Ambassador) to Kuwait at the Science Techno Park (STP) Building, Taman Kencana Campus, Bogor. This visit was in order to explore opportunities for cooperation, especially in agriculture and fisheries.

The Rector of IPB University, Prof Arif Satria said that this year IPB University targets to expand collaboration to Middle Eastern countries. He invited the ambassador to the STP IPB University area to see the various innovations produced by IPB University. This location is also a place for collaboration between IPB University in the fields of agriculture, food, marine and tropical biosciences at the global level.

"Many innovations from IPB University are managed here. Starting from pilot plants, teaching industries and startup centers," he added.

Furthermore, Prof Arif said, STP IPB University is a reference for national universities in Indonesia to also learn about downstream industry.

"With Kuwait, we believe there will be many opportunities for cooperation, especially in the fields of education, research and innovation. For IPB University innovation, we are targeting it to go global so that it can be marketed to Middle Eastern countries," he added.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Ambassador to Kuwait, Lena Maryana Mukti said that Kuwait is a small country but rich in oil reserves. According to him, most Indonesians there work in mining, spa therapy, hospitality and manufacturing.

"For domestic workers from Indonesia in Kuwait, it has started to decrease since 2015 and there are more skilled workers," he said.

Lena added that Kuwait sees ecotourism as something extraordinary because the weather is very hot there. There is a request from Kuwait about fish hatchery and free land for water cooling system greenhouse farming.

"Since the arrival of COVID-19 in Kuwait, they have had a shortage of vegetables, so they have started to realize the importance of agriculture. For this reason, we invite the Rector of IPB University to come to Kuwait with the mission of introducing the concept of sustainable agriculture there," he said. (dr/Rz) (IAAS/RIZ)