Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia's Ministry of Agriculture has partnered with Surabaya State University (Unesa) to expand soybean seed production across 56 hectares of land to reduce Indonesia's reliance on soybean imports.The partnership was formalised through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two parties at the Unesa Campus in Surabaya, East Java, on Wednesday.The Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman said the move directly links university research capabilities with agricultural production.”Unesa has 56 hectares of land and we are providing free seeds and agricultural machinery, including four-wheel tractors,” Sulaiman said after the signing.According to a statement, he emphasised the Ministry formed this synergy to establish a high-quality soybean seed production base in East Java.The 56 hectares of land owned by the university will be planted with soybeans. The government will then purchase the seeds produced there and redistribute them to the public free of charge.Sulaiman targets the land to achieve high soybean productivity, aiming for at least 3.5 metric tons per hectare, with expectations of reaching up to four to five metric tons per hectare.Under the partnership, lecturers in the Unesa will be involved in cultivation and research, turning the area into a space for developing soybean production innovations and technologies.According to the minister, the partnership model is part of efforts to sustainably boost national soybean production.Universities are encouraged not only to conduct research, but also to bring their innovations directly into production to provide tangible benefits for the public.”We continue to expand soybean production, as President Prabowo Subianto instructed us to consistently strengthen the commodity. For active universities, we tailor our partnerships based on each institution's specific commodity focus and capabilities,” he explained.The collaboration with Unesa is part of a broader scheme to involve universities in developing strategic commodities. The Ministry previously established similar partnerships with other higher education institutions tailored to their respective competencies and potential.The scheme is a follow-up to the collaboration that the Agriculture Ministry has established with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology.Minister Sulaiman reiterated that other higher education institutions are welcome to participate in developing agricultural commodities, technologies, and equipment.