Firm's monopoly to sell pesticide stickers queried<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Pesticide producers complained last week about
\nthe agriculture ministry's ruling that requires them to attach
\nhologram stickers to the containers of their products before they
\ncan be sold, saying that it would cause additional costs.<\/p>\n
The complaints were raised amid the dispute currently raging
\nbetween beer brewers and another private monopoly which issues
\nand sells stickers for beer and other alcoholic drinks to be sold
\nin Bali.<\/p>\n
The chairman of the Association of Indonesian Pesticide
\nManufacturers, Mangara S. Sitanggang, said the association was
\nstill negotiating with the Ministry of Agriculture's Pesticide
\nCommission about the terms and the price of the stickers.<\/p>\n
Earlier last week, the association of beer producers also
\ncomplained about the high alcohol levy collected by a private
\ncompany, PT Arbamas Multi Invesco.<\/p>\n
\"We will also discuss whether or not we should change the
\nmechanism of obtaining the stickers,\" Sitanggang said, as quoted
\nby the Bisnis Indonesia daily on Saturday.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, Minister of Agriculture Sjarifudin Baharsjah said
\npesticides should bear hologram stickers to be printed by PT Aryo
\nSeto, a private company, before the agrochemical can be sold on
\nthe market to protect users from the fraudulent products.<\/p>\n
Sjarifudin said users of pesticides, especially farmers,
\nshould take extra caution when using the chemicals because they
\nare often highly toxic.<\/p>\n
\"We must stop the circulation of imitation pesticides which
\ncan be very dangerous substances,\" he said after a hearing with
\nlegislators.<\/p>\n
Sjarifudin said his office basically supported any effort to
\ncurb the circulation of counterfeit products and improve the
\nquality of the pesticides currently on the market.<\/p>\n
The ministry issued a decree, dated Nov. 20, 1995, requiring
\neach pesticide container to carry a sticker indicating its
\nauthenticity. The decree will be effective as of April 20.<\/p>\n
Manufacturers failing to attach the sticker will face
\nadministrative penalties and might have their licenses revoked.<\/p>\n
To obtain the stickers, manufacturers will have to make a bank
\npayment and then show the receipt to the Ministry of
\nAgriculture's Pesticide Commission.<\/p>\n
The stickers will be produced by PT Aryo Seto, the same
\ncompany which has been licensed by the government as the monopoly
\nin making urea tablets from prilled urea fertilizer.<\/p>\n
Mangara said he hoped the government would consider
\nsimplifying procedures to allow manufacturers to buy the stickers
\ndirectly from the commission instead of from the private
\nmonopoly.<\/p>\n
He considers the current procedure time and money consuming.
\nIn the long run, he said, it would affect product prices and
\nbecome a burden on farmers, who were the main users of
\npesticides.<\/p>\n
Mangara hoped the price wouldn't exceed Rp 100 (4.3 U.S.
\ncents) a sticker.<\/p>\n
The association consists of 14 pesticide manufacturers.<\/p>\n
If the decree is enforced, an estimated 200 million stickers
\nwill be needed every year, generating Rp 20 billion in revenue.
\nMost of the money will go directly to Aryo Seto, the sole
\nproducer. (pwn)<\/p>",
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