Important Agricultural Research Topics in Southeast Asia

The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council of Japan has decided to formulate “International Research Strategies” in addition to the present “Guidelines”. The strategies, firstly clarify recent movements surrounding international research and then present important research topics to be tackled with and the cross cutting policies for promoting international research, mainly for those developing countries that are important to Japan’s international research.

There are recent movements surrounding international research.

1. Changes in global food supplies and their impact on Japan

In recent year, international prices of grain and other farm products have increased sharply against the background of greater demand for feed grains as increasing population and economic growth of developing countries with large population such as China and India and of the conflicts between foods and bio-fuels. Moreover, in the situation where investment fund is flowing in agricultural markets, financial markets influence grain market, and international food prices tend to fluctuate rapidly. This situation threatens food security in those developing countries heavily relying their foods on international food markets.

2. Emerging global warming

Forests and farmland have functions to absorb and store atmospheric CO2, a major cause of global warming. They thus play important roles in preventing global warming. From 2000 to 2005, the world’s forests, however, suffered a net loss of 0.73 million hectares on average per year, which is equivalent to 20% of Japan’s land. This reduction may further aggravate global warming and other environmental problems. Actions to combat global warming by controlling deforestation in developing countries are drawn worldwide attention. In order to realize this, discussion among countries has set out concerning technical and methodological approaches.

3. Expanding international cooperation to secure safety and protect lives

In Japan and other developed countries, public concerns are growing about food quality and safety, as well as supplying food in quality. On other hand, there are many developing countries to be produce agricultural products, still focusing on the quantity. Responding quickly and adequately to these concerns, it is important to enhance quarantine and epidemic prevention schemes, based on latest scientific knowledge and by collecting overseas information. It is also necessary to tackle with these issues in a series of processes, from production to processing, distribution and consumption, through international cooperation and information exchange.

In Southeast Asia, while highly profitable agricultural activities are being carried out along with economic growth, there remains traditional farming under rain-fed condition in some areas. This results in economic disparity between the former and the latter areas. Hence, improving food productivities and agricultural incomes in the latter areas remains an essential challenge to be address in the region.

In recent years, resource crops and unused biomass resources for bio-fuels (e.g. felled oil palm trunks and wasted cassava pulp) and bio-plastics have been drawn attention in Southeast Asia. Thus it is necessary to develop technologies for efficient energy conversion and new crop varieties. Moreover, CO2 emissions from deforestation in developing countries become global issues. Asia is an expected region with high possibilities of the reduction in CO2 emissions by controlling over deforestation.

There is a great risk of the outbreak of emerging zoonosis in developing countries, although the real situation about the infection to the people is not clear in these countries. As in the region there is anxiety about expanding infections of avian influenza virus and the outbreak of new strains of influenza virus, protecting against livestock diseases is yet another essential challenge to be addressed.

Key Priorities for Research

1. Promoting research for enhancing efficiency in water use, such as water-saving cultivation and the evaluation of the function in water collection and distribution by small irrigation facilities.

2. Developing high-yielding biomass crops and efficient energy conversion technologies in order to expand the production of bio-energy and biomaterials by utilizing unused local biomass resources, such as felled oil palm trunks and wasted cassava pulp.

3. Developing evaluation and forecasting techniques for sustainable agricultural and forestry systems contributing to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the depletion and degradation of forests in developing countries.

4. Promoting research for sophisticating anti-infection technologies, including those to expedite inspection for avian influenza virus and the development of influenza vaccine for poultry.

DNA Test for Prevention of IUU Fishing

OPRT will carry out testing and analysis of DNA of tunas landed in Japan as one of its projects for fiscal 2008. The project, entrusted by the Fisheries Agency, the Government of Japan, will be implemented jointly with the National Research Institute of Far Seas Fisheries.

Until last year, OPRT has been conducting tuna DNA testing and analysis independently. The project was enlarged this year as a government-entrusted program, by increasing the number of cases of testing and analysis. Especially,testing of processed frozen tunas shipped by container vessels, which have been increasing in recent years, will be reinforced. The purpose of this project is to prevent imports into Japan of tunas cought in violation of resource management measures of regional fisheries management organizations, by analyzing tuna DNA and verifying tuna species and the areas of catch.

It is also aimed to enable Japan, as a responsible tuna fishing and consuming nation, to contribute to ensuring the effectiveness of resource management measures implemented by regional fisheries management organizations.

Previously, there was a case of exposure by DNA testing that bigeye tunas caught in the Atlantic were landed in Japan under false reporting as tunas from the Pacific. In this respect, therefore, DNA testing and analysis at the time of landing will have an important and effective role in preventing illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing activities.

Source: OPRT NewsLetter International August 2008, No. 20

World Major Tuna Longliners Suspend Fishing

Distant-water tuna longline fishing organizations of Japan, Korea, The Chinese Taipei and China held a meeting in Tokyo on June 27, 2008 to exchange views on the present situation now surrounding tuna fisheries.

At the meeting, the four organizations (Japan Tuna Fisheries Cooperative organization, Taiwan Deep Sea Boat Owners and Exporters Association, Korea Overseas Fisheries Association (Tuna Longline Fisheries Committee) and China Fisheries Association (Distant Water Fisheries Branch)) reached the common recognition that "tuna catches have been on decreasing trend in recent years because of the declining resources" and "it has become increasingly difficult to continue tuna fishing because of the rapid fuel price hikes lately.

The four organizations agreed to jointly implement the following actions in order to recover and conserve tuna resources and thereby to maintain the deep sea tuna longline fisheries.

1. We, the four organizations continue to address the regional fisheries management organizations, fisheries management authorities of each country, distributors and consumers about the urgent need to introduce measures necessary for eliminating the treat against tuna resources caused by the rapid increase of large scale purse seine fishing as well as inadequately managed tuna farming.

2. We appeal to the public the critical situation facing the deep sea tuna longline fisheries. We are determined to suspend our fishing operation in order recover tuna resources.

3. We do our best to develop and foster the frozen sashimi tuna market in each of our countries and also to develop new markets in the USA, The EU, and other countries in order to promote stable supply-demand structure.

(Based on OPRT survey, about 400 tuna longline fishing vessels, which account for about one third of all the 1,200 tuna longline fishing vessels in the world, including the vessels registered with the four organizations, are expected to take part in the planned fishing suspension. In point of the fact, 200 vessels from the Chinese Taipei are already suspending their tuna fishing operation).

Resource: OPRT Newsletter international, August 2008, No. 20

Pelatihan Pertanian di Prefektur Ibaraki

Setelah praktek bertani di pertanian orang tua angkat masing-masing selama 4 bulan lebih, tanggal 18 -27 Agustus 2008, para trainee pertanian program JAEC kembali mengikuti pelajaran pertanian di kelas bertempat di Koibuchi Gakuen Prefektur Ibaraki. Gambar di sebelah kiri terlihat keceriaan sebelas pemuda petani Indonesia yang sedang menimba ilmu teknologi pertanian seusai kuliah di ruang kelas yaitu Sdr. Maulana Yusuf (asal DKI), Syaipul Rahman Bin Daim (Kalsel), Agus Ali Nurdin (Jabar), Dadan Ramdani Nugraha (Jabar), Muhamad Najib (Jambi), I Made Dedy Sudiantara (Bali), Yuki Aramdhani (Jabar), Erwin (Sumut), Aep Komarudin (Jabar), Husnul Muhlis (Kalsel) dan Saeroji (Jatim).

Apa cita-ciata mereka setelah kembali ke Indonesia? Cita-cita mereka mulia semua.

Maulana Yusuf: Mengembangkan pertanian dengan miniru atau mempraktekan gaya Jepang. Ingin mengembangkan padi, sayuran dan ternak baik sebagai produsen maupun penjual hasil pertanian tersebut.

Syaiful Rahman: Mengembangkan tehnik pertanian yang telah dipelajari di Jepang dengan mempraktekan di daerahnya untuk kemajuan bangsa dan negara.

Muhamad Najib : membeli tanah untuk mengembangkan ilmu yang didapat dan membangun kebun. Pada gilirannya akan membangun rumah.

Agus Ali Nurdin : Memproduksi sayuran dan padi organik. Juga membuat perusahaan atau distributor sayuran dan beras organik.

Aep Komarudin : Ingin menjadi pembudidaya sayuran dan membuat pengepakan sendiri.

Erwin : Membangun pengolahan hasil pertanian di daerah khususnya padi kemudian mengembangkan produk lain.

Dadan Ramdani Nugraha : Memajukan usaha yang sudah berjalan agar lebih maju dengan bekal pengalaman dari program training ini.

I Made Dedy Sudiantara : Ingin bergerak dibidang peternakan babi dan sapi sekaligus pemasarannya.

Gambar sebelah kiri suasana belajar ketika Ogawa Sensei sedang mengajar ilmu tanah dan pemupukan. Pelajaran disampaikan dalam bahasa Jepang yang diterjemahkan ke dalam bahasa Indonesia.

Yuki Aramdhani : Bercita-cita meneruskan usaha yang sudah ada dan berusaha mengembangkan lagi. Dan juga mempraktekan ilmu yang dipelajari di Jepang.

Saeroji : Berusaha membantu membangun bangsa dalam memperbaiki pertanian, di desa, Kecamatan, Kabupaten dan Negara dengan cara memperbaiki usaha tani yang telah dilaksanakan. Menyampaikan ilmu yang diperoleh kepada kawan-kawan dan kelompok tani, Gapoktan, KTNA dan juga pemuda-pemuda tani.

Husnul Muchlis : Memajukan usaha tani sendiri dulu lalu membantu usaha tani masyarakat disekitar.


Kendala dari sebagian besar mereka hadapi dalam mengikuti pelatihan ini adalah bahasa Jepang. Kata mereka kalau bisa belajar bahasa Jepang yang cukup lama ketika sebelum berangkat ke Jepang.

Kami bersyukur kalau sekarang sudah bisa komunikasi cukup baik, hanya kadang-kadang salah paham. Kalau salah paham ini yang membuat kita malu, kata seorang trainee.

Budaya malu memang baek, tetapi jangan dipertahankan terus-menurus yang bikin kinerja belajar dan berlatih kita menurun.

Ja... Ganbarimashou.