SEOUL: South Korean Agriculture Minister Chung Hwang Keun will visit Malaysia and Indonesia for talks on ways to boost cooperation in agricultural and food industries and to better ensure stable supply chains, his office said Wednesday.
During his visit to Malaysia, which starts Thursday, Chung will meet with his Malaysian counterpart, Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, and issue a joint declaration that calls for expanding cooperation on food security, smart farming and food exports, reported Yonhap news agency.
According to South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, both countries also plan to sign the first contract of exporting South Korean beef that meets halal standards.
In Indonesia, Chung is scheduled to hold a meeting with the country’s agriculture minister, Syahrul Yasin Limpo, to sign a revision to the memorandum of understanding on the beefed-up cooperation in the farming sector.
Also on the table will be how to stabilise supplies of palm oils and other major trading items.
Indonesia is the world’s biggest palm oil producer, and South Korea imports around 340,000 tonnes of palm oil from Indonesia per year, which is about 56 per cent of its total imports of palm oil, according to government data.
“This trip will be a chance to strengthen cooperation channels with the two nations regarding the agricultural sector and raw materials, and to promote K-food items to expand our export market,“ the ministry said in a release.
Chung will return home Tuesday.- Bernama
