KUCHING: Indonesia will provide more places for Sarawakian students to pursue their studies in the field of veterinary medicine in its Bogor Agricultural Institute, Bogor University.
The Sarawak Ministry of Food, Commodities and Rural Development said an agreement was reached during a working visit by ministry officials and the Sarawak Veterinary Services Department to Indonesia from May 3-9.
Minister Datuk Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom headed the five-day working visit.
The visit to IPB Bogor University was to discuss the potential of the university to help Sarawak develop the workforce in the veterinary field.
“This is a very important issue since Sarawak still lacks manpower in the technical field, while the place of study in the field of veterinary medicine at local universities are very limited,” the ministry said in a statement.
It said IPB Bogor University is also ready to cooperate in research activities and development using local resources.
The Sarawak delegation also visited the Livestock Embryo Centre in Cipeleng, Bogor to learn embryo transfer technology and the development of cattle breeding technology, especially Acehnese and Balinese cattle, including the success of the artificial insemination programme in Indonesia.
Head of Indonesian Bali Cattle Breeding Centre Yan Hendri expressed the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture’s readiness to cooperate where its Cipelang Livestock Embryo Centre will receive staff and officers of the Sarawak Veterinary Services Department to undergo training on the latest technology of animal husbandry, especially on embryo transfer and artificial insemination.
The delegation also visited PT Medion Company in Bandung, a vaccine, medicine and livestock equipment company in Southeast Asia.
The purpose of the visit was to get the latest information on the avian influenza vaccine released by the company as well as other types of livestock medicines.
“This is an initial preparatory step taken by Sarawak to face the avian influenza virus transmission,” the ministry said.
A representative from PT Medion briefed the visitors on the functions of vaccines in curbing the transmission of avian influenza and the potential for cooperation between the two parties.
In addition, the ministry has also invited PT Medion Farma Jaya to develop vaccine manufacturing, research technology and livestock medicines in Sarawak in line with the development of the Sarawak Agrotechnology Park (SARTECH) in Semenggok, near Kuching.
The Sarawak delegation’s visit to the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture discussed a number of matters regarding the opportunity to create cooperation directly between Sarawak and Indonesia to combat animal disease transmission such as foot and mouth disease, African Swine Fever (ASF), avian influenza, and rabies.
This is because the rabies and ASF epidemics, in particular, have spread in Sarawak and in several provinces of Kalimantan.
The five-day working visit to Indonesia was initiated by the Ministry of Food, Commodities and Regional Development Sarawak with the Sarawak Veterinary Services and the Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (SALCRA).
