Australia-Indonesia Working Group on Agriculture, Food and Forestry Cooperation (WGAFFC)

The Australia-Indonesia Ministerial Forum established the WGAFC in 1992. In 2006, the Working Group expanded to consider forestry cooperation, and is now referred to as the WGAFFC.

The group’s purpose is to maximise opportunities and increase and strengthen cooperation between Australia and Indonesia on trade and investment in food and agriculture. The Working Group also serves as a forum to discuss bilateral quarantine and agricultural market access issues.

WGAFFC meetings provide an important opportunity to maintain and further improve the positive relationship on agricultural and food-related issues with a key trading partner in the region. The meetings are co-chaired and facilitated by Australian and Indonesian government representatives. Industry and state government representatives are encouraged to participate and promote closer ties with Indonesian counterparts. Outcomes of the work program are presented to the Ministerial Forum.

WGAFFC has a number of taskforces including:

• quarantine 
• crops and plant products (including the agribusiness support system taskforce)
• livestock and animal products
• forestry.

WGAFFC has identified, and raised awareness of, many opportunities for further commercial cooperation in the food and agriculture sectors. It has also assisted in increasing commercial linkages through discussion, negotiations and business forums.

Significant progress has been made in some sectors, such as meat and livestock, where there has been close involvement and commitment from the industries in both countries.

15^th Meeting of the Australia—Indonesia Working Group on Agriculture, Food and Forestry Cooperation — Darwin, Australia, 31 May—3 June 2010.

The 15^th meeting of the WGAFFC discussed a range of issues affecting bilateral trade in agricultural and food products between Australia and Indonesia, as well as current cooperation activities, including:

• Live cattle exports to Indonesia; Indonesia’s Law on Animal Health and Animal Husbandry; improved market access for meat offals; and import conditions for breeder cattle to Indonesia.
• The Emerging Infectious Diseases program being conducted in Indonesia from 2010; cooperation in relation to sanitary and phytosanitary capacity building activities; and the Australian Fumigation and Accreditation Scheme.
• Prospects for cooperation under the new Forestry Taskforce.

Indonesia also sought further information on cooperation proposals identified by the WGAFFC Scoping Study completed in 2009 and took the opportunity to provide proposals for a number of additional cooperation initiatives, including new projects in the beef, dairy and horticulture sectors. DAFF agreed to consider the proposals and undertook to coordinate a broad cooperation strategy with Australian Government agencies currently involved in delivering significant cooperation and capacity building activities in Indonesia.

The 16^th WGAFFC meeting is scheduled to be hosted by Indonesia in 2011.