[Unpad.ac.id, 15/04/2013] On Saturday (13/04), Value Chain Center (VCC) Research and Community Service (LPPM) Unpad, represented by Trisna Insan Noor (Ketua PIK/Agriculture development specialist), Tomy Perdana (Agri-supply chain engineer) and Andre Daud (Livestock supply chain risk analyst), welcomed a group of delegates from the Tokyo-based International Development Center of Japan. Their visit was to study further Indonesia’s horticulture supply chain and extend the possibilities for developing cooperation program.
Representing International Development Center of Japan, Baba Yuichi (senior economist/team leader) and Takao Sasasi (food industry analyst) were appointed by Japan’s Minister of Economy, with recommendation from USAID. They both were interested in the implementation of the model the Unpad has been developing, which involves multiple stakeholders (triple helix model). The model is in accordance with the Japanese government policy on international development cooperation. Formerly, international cooperation relied on government to government partnership, as for now, emphasis is going to be stressed on government to triple helix model, in which the government, business practitioners, and universities take part.
In addition to the supply chain model, representatives from both nations also discussed about the current condition of cold chain system used in Indonesian horticulture products. Baba Yuchi stated that his government would implement partnership programs to Japanese Foreign Direct Investment with Indonesia and Thailand, particularly on food industry and its supply chain. For Unpad, this will help the institution to become a center of excellence at both national and international levels in terms of agribusiness supply chain that would accordingly benefit Indonesian farmers.
