Enviro News Asia, Illinois — Indonesia’s efforts to enhance agricultural technology collaboration with the United States entered a new phase through the third Indonesia–US Digital Technology Dialogue organized by the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) in Chicago. The forum brought together Indonesian Ambassador to the United States Indroyono Soesilo, Expert Staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Inter-Institutional Relations Prasetyo Hadi, Consul General of Indonesia in Chicago Trisari Dyah Paramita, as well as representatives from Indonesian ministries, academic institutions, and agricultural business associations from Illinois.
Held on Monday, 17 November 2025, the dialogue served as a strategic platform to discuss the application of digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI) in superior seed development, farming systems, harvesting mechanisms, and agricultural product marketing. Ambassador Indroyono emphasized Indonesia’s need to leverage the United States’ advancements in agricultural technology, particularly in the State of Illinois—one of the country’s largest soybean producers.
Illinois currently supplies a significant share of US soybean exports to Indonesia, with export value reaching US$ 438 million out of a total US$ 1.24 billion in 2024. This strong trade relationship reinforces the importance of strengthening technological collaboration to support Indonesia’s agricultural progress and food security.
Several concrete collaboration plans were agreed upon during the dialogue, including joint development of soybean drying technology, collaborative research with Argonne National Laboratory and the Soybean Innovation Laboratory, and a soybean processing partnership with the Illinois Soybean Association covering chips and various derivative products. The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also encouraged the expansion of sub-national cooperation between Indonesian stakeholders and US State Governments, including partnerships with businesses, universities, industry associations, and government institutions.
As part of the agenda, the Indonesian delegation conducted working visits to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the Illinois Department of Agriculture (ILDA) in Springfield. They also held meetings with the leadership of agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) and research institutions to explore cooperation in seed research, post-harvest technology, food innovation, and the development of a digital agriculture ecosystem.
This dialogue is expected to serve as a foundational step toward strengthening Indonesia–Illinois partnership and expanding collaboration in modern agriculture, technological innovation, and food supply chain stability. (*)
