Indonesia's Prabowo to meet Putin in Russia for talks
[JAKARTA] Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto will meet counterpart Vladimir Putin this month on his first visit to Russia since taking office, officials said on Thursday (Jun 12), as South-east Asia's biggest economy seeks to boost ties with Moscow.
Jakarta maintains a neutral foreign policy, refusing to take sides in the Ukraine conflict or in the competition between Washington and Beijing, but Prabowo has touted stronger relations with Moscow.
He will visit Russia from June 18-20 to hold talks with Putin and attend an economic forum in Saint Petersburg, where he will deliver a speech, foreign ministry spokesman Rolliansyah Soemirat told reporters.
'The president and a limited number of delegates are scheduled to visit St Petersburg, Russia, on June 18-20. This visit is to fulfil the invitation from the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, to a bilateral meeting,' Rolliansyah said.
'The bilateral meeting is expected to discuss the development of bilateral cooperation, as well as a discussion between leaders on the regional and global issues that become a common concern,' he said.
Prabowo will visit Singapore on Monday to attend a leaders' retreat, where he will meet the country's prime minister and president, before flying to Russia, Rolliansyah said.
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Presidential spokesman Philips Vermonte also confirmed the planned trips to AFP.
Prabowo visited Putin in Moscow last year before being inaugurated as Indonesia's new president in October, calling Russia a 'great friend'.
The two nations held their first joint naval drills on Java island in November and Prabowo later hosted top Russian security official Sergei Shoigu for talks in the capital Jakarta.
Prabowo has pledged to be bolder on the world stage compared with his predecessor Joko Widodo.
Jakarta has billion-dollar trade ties with Moscow, yet major arms imports have stalled in recent years after Russia seized Crimea in 2014 and launched its full-scale military offensive on Ukraine in 2022.
However, since becoming defence minister in 2019, Prabowo has kept alive a US$1.1 billion Russian fighter jet deal agreed a year earlier, despite the reported threat of US sanctions. AFP
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While the harvest cycle for Japanese Arus muskmelons has already been completed, preparations for the next planting are underway in one of the greenhouses. The focus has shifted in the meantime to cultivating golden melons, which take just two months to mature, faster than the three-month cycle required for Arus muskmelons. Mono Premium Melon's 'harvest-your-own-melon' experience draws customers even from Singapore to the farm. PHOTO: MONO PREMIUM MELON Mono's business model blends high-value crops with smart irrigation systems and the growing appeal of agritourism. 'Right now, everything we grow is pre-booked. (Some customers) even place orders before the next planting starts... It's a good problem to have, but it also means we're constantly thinking about how to scale sustainably,' says Sofian. Mono operates with just three greenhouses – a fourth is under development – each producing about 500 melons per cycle. The output is tiny by commercial farming standards, but this allows the team to maintain strict quality control and deliver consistent results. And that is exactly what customers are looking for. Whether they are families driving in from other places for a self-picking experience, or consumers sending their own delivery service providers to pick up their orders, they are drawn to Mono's freshness, quality and traceability, says Sofian. 'We thought buyers might find (self-harvesting) troublesome,' he admits. 'But many were actually excited. It's a chance to connect with the food they eat and to see how it's grown.' While Malaysia's year-round tropical climate is not as dry as Japan's, it is still suitable for melon cultivation – especially with the help of controlled environments, Internet-of-Things (IoT) sensors, and integrated pest management. Once flowering begins, only the best fruit from each plant is selected and nurtured to full size (around 1.5 to 1.8 kg). But growing premium fruit is not without hurdles. 'Melons are very sensitive to the environment, pests and irrigation timing. That's why we rely on IoT systems to manage water, nutrients and temperature with precision,' says Sofian's partner at Irritec, technical executive Philip Lee. He explains that smart farming, though roughly double the cost of conventional planting methods, is a 'quality game'. The significant investment is justified by the ability to cultivate superior fruits and vegetables in a controlled environment, fetching premium prices in the market. 'Demand for premium fruits and vegetables is on the rise; people are becoming more aware of how (their food is grown) and where it comes from,' he adds. 'But we aren't competing with big producers or wholesalers. We're simply serving this particular market.' Sofian echoes him, noting that the company is not a commercial grower as the main focus is to offer end-to-end solutions – such as greenhouse set-up, IoT integration and irrigation systems. 'We help aspiring agripreneurs get started,' he says. That help includes more than just hardware. Irritec's system uses smart valves and gravity-based irrigation, requiring no external power supply. 'It's sustainable and energy-efficient. The only powered components are the fan and the fertiliser mixer, which can be controlled remotely via a mobile app,' says Lee. The initial investment for a 2,000-square-foot (sq ft) greenhouse, equipped with smart irrigation and IoT systems, is around RM70,000. Investors, however, must source their own land and provide basic infrastructure such as electricity and water. Lee highlights that the company's clientele extends beyond Malaysia, with customers in Brunei and Singapore acquiring its systems to begin planting in their respective countries or designated locations. For instance, Irritec assisted a private company in setting up two greenhouses in Brunei for cultivating mini watermelons, similar to those found in Japan and Taiwan. Additionally, several Singaporean investors have expressed interest, with one already having established a farm in Johor using Irritec's system for the cultivation and export of golden melons to Singapore. 'Farming isn't just for rural landowners anymore. It's for anyone with a plan, some capital, and the right technology,' says Lee, adding that the same technology can also be used in cultivating other crops such as chillies, cucumbers and eggplants. Irritec's approach has resonated with a growing number of Malaysians – from fresh graduates to retirees – looking to enter the agribusiness sector. Lee estimates that 30 to 40 new investors explore the model annually, and more than half of the company's clients are young graduates. High selling prices are a key factor in attracting young graduates to this farming venture. Japanese muskmelons retail for RM168 per fruit, and golden melons are sold at RM188 for a pack of six. Imported Arus muskmelons from Japan cost twice as much as locally grown melons in Malaysia. PHOTO: MONO PREMIUM MELON Sofian says that despite its RM168 price tag, Mono's muskmelon offers considerable value compared to imported Japanese varieties, which typically cost RM300 to RM400 at high-end city supermarkets. He addresses potential biases towards imported versus locally produced melons by clarifying that local growers are not aiming to compete with importers or large grocers selling premium imported produce. Instead, their goal is to offer consumers more choices. 'In terms of muskmelons, the taste is comparable. But buying locally, you know where your fruit comes from and it might be half the price. Plus, you'll have the opportunity to experience the harvesting process yourself – that's some added value for consumers.' Premium salad greens just across the bridge In Johor Bahru, just across the border from Singapore, a new kind of farm is rising – one without soil, sunshine, or even open skies. Spanning 52,000 sq ft, the smart indoor vertical farm is the result of a cross-border collaboration between Singapore's Archisen and Malaysia's FarmByte, under Johor Corporation Group. Scheduled to produce more than 306,000 kg of leafy greens annually – including crystal lettuce, mustard greens and ice plants – it is designed to supply both Malaysian and Singaporean markets with clean, pesticide-free produce. While vertical farming is not a new concept, it took off in Malaysia only in the last few years. 'Consumers today are generally willing to pay higher prices for good-quality produce,' says Archisen CEO Vincent Wei. 'There's a niche market – boutique grocers, restaurants and health-focused households – that values locally grown, premium greens.' Ice plants ready for harvest in one of Archisen's smart indoor vertical farms in Singapore. PHOTO: ARCHISEN The Johor project builds on Archisen's work in Singapore, which includes a facility called Commonwealth Greens and a vertical farm designed for Hyundai Motor Group. Rising land and labour costs in the city-state have made Malaysia an ideal staging ground for regional expansion. Wei says that Johor's proximity, coupled with the new Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone, offers agribusiness owners the best of both worlds – Malaysia's lower costs and larger scale, as well as access to Singapore's high-value market. 'Locating the farm close to the buyer is crucial for reducing spoilage, handling damage and cold chain breakage,' he adds. 'Harvested vegetables are promptly refrigerated, with the cold chain meticulously maintained from storage through transport to the store, thereby minimising degradation from farm to table.' Why local luxury matters MeMe Farm thrives with 1,700 vanilla vines and hundreds of staghorn ferns. PHOTO: TAN AI LENG, BT The rise of premium local crops – from vanilla and melons to pesticide-free greens – is not just about food trends. It speaks to a deeper issue: a growing dependence on food imports. Professor Emeritus M Nasir Shamsudin from Universiti Putra Malaysia's Faculty of Agriculture says most of the countries in South-east Asia are increasingly reliant on imports, especially for meat, fruits and vegetables. For instance, Malaysia's food trade deficit widened alarmingly from RM21.8 billion in 2020 to RM31 billion in 2022. The figure was RM4.9 billion in 2000. The growing gap highlights a structural problem: rising demand and stagnant domestic production. Prof Nasir notes that agritech is redefining farming in Malaysia and other countries, shifting the focus from land expansion to productivity and quality. It complements conventional agriculture by enabling small-scale farms to grow premium, previously imported crops year-round. 'This approach reduces food import dependence, creates new revenue streams for small and medium enterprises (SME), and is slowly changing mindsets – positioning farming as an innovation-driven, high-value enterprise rather than a low-yield, labour-intensive livelihood of the past,' he says. He stresses that technology in agriculture is no longer a luxury but a necessity in view of land scarcity. And especially for SMEs, it is a powerful tool to boost their productivity and quality. 'Systematic farming, a controlled environment and hydroponics are not just about increasing yields,' he says. 'It is about growing smarter and producing higher-value crops with better consistency, quality and resource efficiency.'
