Jakarta, 19 October 2026: ERIA President Tetsuya Watanabe met with Dr Andi Amran Sulaiman, Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Indonesia, to discuss ongoing support and explore further collaboration to strengthen food security and promote downstream development across the agri-food system.

These priorities align with Asta Cita, the national vision and priority agenda of President Prabowo Subianto’s administration, which emphasises food self-sufficiency and the development of domestic value-added industries.

During the meeting, President Watanabe formally presented the minister with the study report Exploring the ASEAN Local Resource-Based Food Reserve (LRBFR) Mechanism: Strengthening Regional Food Security and Crisis Resilience. Conducted at the request of Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture, the study supports the implementation of leaders’ commitments under the ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on Strengthening Food Security and Nutrition in Response to Crises. It examines experiences and good practices in food reserve systems, including approaches to responding to shocks and crises.

President Watanabe also expressed his appreciation for the minister’s continued support for ERIA’s activities. The meeting reaffirmed ERIA’s commitment to supporting Indonesia’s national development priorities through evidence-based research and policy recommendations, while contributing to stronger regional food security and co-operation.