Australia-Indonesia Agricultural Cooperation on Show in Lombok

Research projects assisting cattle producers, lobster growers and peanut farmers in Lombok will be a highlight of the visit this week by the new Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), Dr Nick Austin.

ACIAR, which operates as part of the Australian Government's development assistance program, has been supporting agricultural research projects in Indonesia for over 25 years, with a strong focus in Eastern Indonesia.

“As a close neighbour, Australia supports Indonesia’s endeavours to reduce the number of people living in poverty through agricultural development in line with the Australia-Indonesia Partnership” Dr Austin said.

“The ACIAR research program aims to help boost farmers' incomes in two ways: by increasing the productivity of crops, livestock and aquaculture; and by fostering the development of integrated agribusinesses, focusing on high-value commodities which have strong market demand,” Dr Austin said.

ACIAR supports cooperation between central institutes and provincially-based adaptive research agencies, planning authorities and local delivery organisations in Lombok.

While in Lombok, Dr Austin will visit an ACIAR-supported cattle project at Kayangan that is helping producers boost profitability by using new management techniques, including better breeding, improved cattle stall facilities and feeding forages.

“Now, 23 cattle stalls across central Lombok have achieved calving rates of over 85 per cent compared with average regional figure of 50 to 66 per cent; calf mortality in these cattle stalls has halved, and the growth rate of calves among the participating farmers has nearly doubled,” Dr Austin said.

Dr Austin will also visit peanut growers who are benefitting from an ACIAR-funded project that has introduced new varieties and better management practices, and is creating closer links between growers and peanut buyers, with a view to boosting returns for high quality peanuts.

Finally Dr Austin will visit the Marine Aquaculture Development Centre at Sekotong where ACIAR research is adapting the outcomes of a regional lobster research program by introducing new diets into the aquaculture systems to increase lobster growth rates and shorten the time to get them to market.

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