By Xinhua,
Jakarta : The Indonesian government is committed to helping Timor Leste in agricultural development so as to boost the country’s food supplies, a senior official said here Wednesday.
The Indonesian government has agreed to send agricultural experts and crop seedlings to its neighbor, said Agriculture Minister Anton Apriyantono.
It would also offer technical assistance in animal breeding and veterinary, he said after meeting with his Timor Leste counterpart Mariano Assanami Sabino at his office.
In the plantation sector, the two countries agreed to cooperatein coffee production and marketing, said Anton.
Mariano said Indonesia is the first country with which Timor Leste established cooperation in the agricultural sector.
The half-island country, which seceded from Indonesia in 1999, currently depends heavily on international food supplies.
Timor Leste has to import nearly 60,000 tons of rice a year as local production cannot meet the national demand of 99,000 tons a year.