Apriadi Gunawan The Jakarta Post  Thu, November 5, 2020

Indonesian orchids. Photo: Indonesia Tourism

MEDAN – The Netherlands government has offered to collaborate with North Sumatra province in developing technology to cultivate orchids around Lake Toba, following the March visit of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima.

Deputy head of political affairs Brechtje Klandermans at the Netherlands Embassy in Jakarta said that the trip to Lake Toba, which was on the itinerary of the royal couple’s Indonesia visit, had left a particularly lasting impression.

“Out of all the places they visited, Lake Toba is the one they enjoyed the most. The King and Queen are very happy, and everyone was very professional when they welcomed us at that time,” Klandermans said during a meeting with North Sumatra Governor Edy Rahmayadi on Wednesday.

In a follow-up to the royal visit, Klandermans said that the Dutch government was offering a collaboration with the North Sumatra administration in developing production technologies for orchids.

“The Netherlands is the top exporting country of colorful orchids in the world. It seems like we can collaborate in developing the technology [at] Lake Toba,” she said.

In response, the governor said, “We really appreciate this collaboration offer. Hopefully it can be implemented and improved for other fields also, such as education, tourism, infrastructure, transportation and agriculture, as well as water and waste management.”

Edy also expressed the provincial administration’s appreciation for the commitment of the Dutch government in assisting with the development of sustainable tourism at Lake Toba.

The governor added he was honored that he was able to welcome the Dutch king and queen to Lake Toba in March. “Please do not hesitate to come and visit Lake Toba again. We will prepare the best to welcome our guests,” he said. (dpk)
https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/11/05/netherlands-offers-collaboration-in-lake-toba-orchid-cultivation-tech.html.
Source: The Jakarta Post  Thu, November 5, 2020

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