Agricom.id, JAKARTA – Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo said that it is important to be in synergy in the quarantine system as the gate of agricultural commodity trade. The cooperation among Badan Karantina Pertanian and other research institutions, including the research results from the academy in the universities is absolute.

“Every balai karantina should have the acceleration. Do not stand alone. We and the universities should have more sophisticated approach by the digital (system). Never make a forecast or never do the old day – style. Every one of us should support this,” he said when signing the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with 7 (seven) universities in the eastern Indonesia.

Ministry of Agriculture through Badan Karantina Pertanian (Barantan) did the event in Agriculture War Room (AWR), Ministry of Agriculture, Friday(28/8) to empower the quarantine system, namely in bio-security, animal, and plantation health.

The cooperation was virtually signed. It is hoped to encourage the qualified human resource competency for both sides, enrich the knowledge in the agricultural quarantine, and support to increase the exports of commodity and food from Indonesia.

The seven universities signing the MoU were Universitas Hasanuddin, Universitas Cendrawasih, Universitas Papua, Universitas Gorontalo, Universitas Sam Ratulangi, Universitas Alhaairat , and Universitas Tadulako.

Head of Badan Karantina Pertanian (Barantan) Ministry of Agriculture, Ali Jamil said that the implementation of Laws No. 21 / 2009 about the Plantation, Fish, and Animal Quarantine required that Barantan is as the technical institution dealing with sanitary and phyto-sanitary issues, animal, and plantation health, including biological agents, food and woof security.

“Ministry of agriculture really needs the cooperation with the educational institution both nationally and internationally. We need innovation of science, such as in the form of bio-sensor to detect the animal and plantation pest fast and other innovations,” he said, as in the official statement to Agricom.id.

Director of Universitas Hasanudin, Dwia Aries Tina Pulubuhu said that it is important to have the quarantine system and education so that the people know about the bio-terrorism.

“The agricultural genetic engineering could be bad. We could eat the imported fruits within kinds of variety but we do not feel the dangerous genetic engineering,” he said.

He also thought that the experts in the universities know this and would help us and educate the people. “We are ready to socialize the bio-terrorism to the people,” he said.

In the same spot, Director of Univesitas Papua, Meky Sagrim told the same support to develop the agricultural quarantine system. “Man could live without plane, smart phone, cars but could not live without agriculture. We are ready to support the MoU to develop the better agriculture in Indonesia,” he said. (A2)