The Government of Bangladesh, through its Ambassador to Indonesia, Tarikul Islam, has expressed interest in establishing strategic cooperation with the Government of Aceh, particularly in the industrial, agricultural, and natural resource trade sectors.
This interest was conveyed during an official meeting between the Ambassador of Bangladesh and the Regional Secretary of Aceh, M. Nasir, along with a number of Aceh government officials, at the Aceh Governor’s Office on Friday, October 24.
Aceh Regional Secretary M. Nasir welcomed the plan and emphasized that Aceh is ready to open concrete cooperation that can begin through cooperation in the manufacturing and agriculture sectors. He said that the initial step will be the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two parties to strengthen economic cooperation.
“I think the first step is to create an MoU for cooperation in manufacturing and agriculture. We will start with productive sectors such as agriculture, livestock, and vegetables,” said M. Nasir. This presents a mutually beneficial cooperation opportunity that is most needed at present, as the demand for Free Nutritious Food (MBG) supplies will be very high.
The Secretary added that Aceh has significant potential for exporting natural products such as coffee and seafood. “Culturally, we have many similarities with Bangladesh. Therefore, this cooperation is very realistic to develop, including in the field of seafood and Aceh coffee exports. If it goes well, we can also discuss opportunities for coal and energy exports, which are in demand in Bangladesh,” said the Regional Secretary.
Bangladesh Ambassador Tarikul Islam said that his country is interested in exploring cooperation with Aceh in the agriculture and garment industries. According to him, Bangladesh has extensive experience in the textile and garment industry and has become one of the largest garment producers in the world. “We see that Aceh has great potential in the industrial and agricultural sectors. Bangladesh is ready to share its experience and technology in the garment industry and open up opportunities for joint investment,” said Ambassador Tarikul.
In the field of agriculture, he explained that Bangladesh has successfully developed modern technology in rice production and other plantation commodities. His party hopes to send experts and open agricultural training in Aceh, including in the fields of crop processing and food security. “We are ready to establish cooperation in training, research, and the exchange of experts so that Aceh’s agricultural sector can further develop,” he said.
Ambassador Tarikul also emphasized Bangladesh’s interest in importing Aceh’s superior products such as Gayo coffee, spices, energy, cooking oil, and marine products. He mentioned that his party plans to bring Bangladeshi investors to invest in the agricultural and natural product processing sectors in Aceh. One of them is by developing spice plantations and cooking spice processing.
