Mengunjungi Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang (14 Maret 2019)

Setelah mengunjungi Universitas Brawijaya, saya mengunjungi Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) untuk membahas tentang peluang kerjasama dengan Jepang. Diskusi ini dilakukan sebagai mini seminar diketuai oleh Dekan Fakultas Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik.

Kami memiliki diskusi yang sangat menarik dan mengesankan dalam kesempatan ini dan UMM terus mempertimbangkan aktivitas kerjasama termasuk tur studi ke Jepang dan mengundang saya sebagai dosen tamu.

Visit Malang Muhammadiyah University (14 March 2019)

After visiting Brawijaya University, I visited Malang Muhammadiyah University (UMM) to discuss about cooperation opportunities with Japan. The discussion was conducted as a mini-seminar chaired by dean of Faculty of Social and Politics.

We had very interesting and impressive discussion in this occasion and UMM continues to consider any cooperation activities including study tour to japan and inviting me as visiting lecturer.

Visit Brawijaya University, Malang (14 March 2019)

I visited Faculty of Economics and Business, Brawijaya University, Malang, in 14 March 2019.

The Faculty conducts 3 in 1 program in its academic course by three lecturers from Brawijaya University, private sector, and foreigner.

I was asked to be the foreign guest lecturer in this 3 in 1 program by the Faculty. Maybe in next April.

I appreciated this and suggested three subjects as my topics; local economic development policies including OVOP movement, current economic and social issues in Japan, and field work with community development facilitation methods.

I hope I would make some meaningful contribution to the university students in this opportunity.

Mengunjungi Surabaya dan Malang (25-29 September 2017)

Minggu Lalu (25-29 September 2017), saya mengunjungi Surabaya dan Malang, Jawa Timur, Indonesia.

Kali ini, saya belajar situasi saat ini tentang pengiriman pemagang dari Indonesia ke luar negeri termasuk Jepang, dan tahu banyak upaya inovatif baru di SMK di sana.

Saya harus mengatakan bahwa zamannya bantuan teknis dari Jepang ke Indonesia sudah berlalu, dan telah mulai zaman baru, yaitu, zaman saling belajar-mengajar dan kolaborasi yang nyata bersama-sama antara Indonesia dan Jepang sebagai mitra setara yang saling menghormati.

Visit Surabaya and Malang in 25-29 September 2017

Last week (25-29 September 2017), I visited Surabaya and Malang, East Java, Indonesia.

This time, I learned current situation about sending trainee from Indonesia to overseas including Japan, and knew much new innovative efforts of the vocational high schools there.

I confirmed again the end of the era of technical assistance from Japan to Indonesia, but certainly believed the start of mutual learning and collaboration together between Indonesia and Japan as equal partners.

Kunjungan Dosen UMM ke Fukushima (1-2 Agustus 2017)

Pada tanggal 1-2 Agustus 2017, 5 dosen dari Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) dari Indonesia mengunjungi Kota Fukushima dan Tokyo.

Mereka datang ke sini untuk merencanakan KKN Internasional mereka di Fukushima tahun depan.

Matsui Glocal LLC akan mendukung untuk mempersiapkan rencana mereka untuk mewujudkan program saling belajar dan kerjasama oleh para siswa dan masyarakat di Fukushima dan Malang.

Lecturers from Indonesia visited Fukushima (August 1-2, 2017)

In August 1-2, 2017, 5 lecturers of Malang Muhammadiyah University (UMM) from Indonesia visited Fukushima city and Tokyo.

They come here to check the plan of their students’ international field study program in Fukushima next year.

Matsui Glocal LLC will support to prepare their plan to seek new mutual learning and sincere collaboration by students and communities in Fukushima and Malang.

Fukushima and Malang/Batu

In the name of JICA survey on local to local partnership in agriculture between Indonesia and Japan, I brought three persons from Fukushima city to Malang and Batu, East Java, Indonesia, in July 26-28, 2016.

Fukushima and Malang/Batu have the same character as center of fruits production and processing. Fukushima is very famous as production center of peach, pear, apple and other fruits except orange. Malang and Batu are famous as apple, orange, crystal guava, and other tropical fruits.

In Malang and Batu, we discussed with those two local governments about the direction of this supposed partnership and share the philosophy of agriculture in the future. We agreed with farmers-centered agricultural industrialization against strong wave of globalization through market forces.

In other words, the main objective is to improve the position and income of farmers, supported by manufacturers. More focus on sustainability and continuity of interaction between farmers and manufacturers, rather than the increase of production and productivity that are requested by market force.

For example, vacuum fried chips (kripik) are main products of fruit processing in Malang and Batu now. Because of that, the future of kripik is not prospective because more manufacturers will start to produce kripik and more supply of kripik will decline the value of processing. Very difficult to increase the income of farmers. Processing-centered strategies will not always be good result to farmers.

So, my guests from Fukushima requested farmers in Malang and Batu not just satisfy as suppliers of fruits materials for manufacturers, but try to produce qualified fresh fruits against dominant imported fruits in Indonesian market. Food security is the biggest concern of Fukushima after the nuclear power plant accident. Fukushima has made extra hard effort to recover its trust in agriculture market until now.

The key is not only the quality, but also the security of foods and agricultural products. Also, organic products are not always accepted in market if they are not so delicious. Farmers try to produce delicious fruits with paying attention to food security (and may be in organic way). We think this with seeing many small apples in a tree in Batu.

In September, we will invite local government officials from Malang and Batu to Fukushima to see and understand the system of agriculture, mainly of fruits. We will continue to discuss about real partnership building in fruits promotion between Fukushima and Malang/Batu. See the next step.

 

Visit Malang City & Batu City (14-15 July)

In the name of JICA survey, I visited Malang city and Batu city in East Java province in July 14-16, 2016.

This survey will search for possible cooperation and partnership relation between local government in Japan and in Indonesia to promote win-win private business development on agriculture and livestock sector.

So, there are two kinds of partnership in this survey: local government in Japan and local government in Indonesia; and government sector and private sector in each local government.

Malang city and Batu city are included as the candidate local government in Indonesia, especially in the field of fruits production, processing and marketing development. So, what will the partner candidate in Japan?

Anyway, in July 14, I visited the Office of Agriculture of Malang city to discuss with the Head at 8:30 am. Unfortunately, he was asked by Mayor to attend urgent important meeting in the City Hall. So, I had to just wait for the finish of the meeting. Maybe 1-2 hours, I think.

At last, I could meet the Head at 3 pm. He wanted me to meet the Mayor. I was very surprised at hearing it because it is usually very difficult to make appointment the local head as Governor, district head (Bupati), or Mayor.

Fortunately, thanks to the initiative of the Head of the Office of Agriculture, I met the Mayor, Bapak H. Moch. Anton. I explained about our survey and he appreciated us very much. He gave some suggestions and hints to promote next step for partnership building with local government in Japan.

What will happen in the next step? We will see it later.

2016-07-14 16.07.25

Left to Right: Bapak Wasto (Chairman of Bappeda); Me; Bapak H. Moch. Anton (Mayor); Bapak Kristiawan (Fruits Processing Expert); Bapak Hadi Santoso (Head of Office of Agriculture)