Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia's Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs signed five cooperation agreements with domestic and international partners to strengthen sustainable maritime resource management and support national marine-based food security. Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs Maritime Resources Coordination Deputy Dandy Satria Iswara said cross-sector collaboration was essential to developing innovative and sustainable maritime resource management that benefits the public. “Cooperation with various partners is expected to accelerate the implementation of strategic programs in the marine and fisheries sector,” Iswara said in a statement received in Jakarta on Tuesday. The five documents, signed on Monday, comprise two letters of intent (LoIs) and three cooperation agreements involving the Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, the Indonesia Ocean Justice Initiative (IOJI), and South Korea's CAiT Engineering Co. Ltd. The first LoI establishes cooperation between the Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs and the Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions to integrate aquatic foods, or blue foods, into sustainable food systems. The Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions expressed support for science-based solutions to improve marine resource management and strengthen food security through the integration of blue foods. The second LoI, signed with CAiT Engineering Co. Ltd., covers a preliminary feasibility study on an Indonesia-South Korea blue carbon partnership for the country's tidal ecosystems. According to Iswara, the partnership is intended to support the development of the blue economy and promote the sustainable use of coastal ecosystems through blue carbon initiatives. The ministry and IOJI also signed three cooperation agreements covering the monitoring of the National Fish Consumption Campaign (Gemarikan) action plan, the development of the Indonesian Fishermen Profile and Fishermen Welfare Pillar, and the optimization of subsidized fuel distribution for fishermen. “These three cooperation agreements are expected to strengthen governance in the marine and fisheries sector while improving fishermen's welfare through better use of data, stronger policies, and more effective government programs,” Iswara said. Representatives from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, IOJI, Blue Arc Global, and CAiT Engineering Co. Ltd. attended the signing ceremony. Through the five agreements, the Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs reaffirmed its commitment to advancing sustainable maritime resource management, supporting the blue economy, and strengthening Indonesia's national food security.