We can improve, in terms of the quality of cooperation, through such programs."
Denpasar (ANTARA News) - The Bali provincial government is keen to enhance cooperation with the government of Osaki City, Japan, to develop the agriculture, education, tourism, and infrastructure sectors to offer greater benefits to the islands community.

"We can improve, in terms of the quality of cooperation, through such programs. In terms of quantity, the number of participants who will be trained there can be increased, so we will have more well-trained resources," Deputy Governor of Bali Ketut Sudikerta stated while receiving Vice Mayor of the Osaki Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, Tojo Masaharu in Denpasar on Monday.

Sudikerta pointed out that last year, as many as 16 representatives from Bali Province were given the opportunity to learn about waste management in Osaki, Japan, facilitated by the Japan International Corporate Agency (JICA).

Hence, future cooperation is expected to not merely be limited to waste management but will also cover other fields, such as agriculture, education, and if permitted, in the areas of tourism and infrastructure development.

Sudikerta lauded and thanked JICA for imparting training to the 16 people comprising officials and those who were directly involved in the handling of waste to study its management in Osaki, Japan.

"The team from Bali has received training in Japan to become trainers and to disseminate what they have learnt in Osaki to the public, so that the waste issue can soon be handled," he emphasized.

On the other hand, Sudikerta also introduced the Integrated Farming Systems (Simantri), which is one of the flagship programs of the Bali provincial government.

"Apart from Simantris attempt to integrate agriculture into a system with the aim of increasing crop yields, it also has the goal to transform Bali into an organic island by producing organic fertilizers and bio urine from cow dung," he explained.

Hence, it is in accordance with the cooperation plan to be executed along with Osaki to increase agricultural output and to also support the initiative to make Bali an organic island.

Masaharu stated that the training program attended by the 16 people from Bali Province had been going well.

During their stay in Osaki, the trainees have gained firsthand information on the waste management process in Osaki, where 80 percent of the trash is successfully managed and only 20 percent of which goes to the final disposal (TPA).

"As a result of TPA in Osaki, there is no smell or flies, as the trash is sorted at the household level," he pointed out.

Masaharu expressed hope that this technology will be obtained and applied in Bali to make it a waste-free island.

Looking ahead, the company, through JICA, plans to continue forging cooperation in other fields, and Masaharu said he would be in Bali for a week to observe the local environmental problems , including Simantri, and also did not rule out the possibility of cooperation in other areas.

Head of the Bali Provincial Environment Agency Gede Suarjana and head of the Environment Agency of all districts and cities in Bali were also present on the occasion.

(Reported by Ni Luh Rhismawati/Uu.B020/INE//KR-BSR/F001)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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