Govt plans to curb fruit import<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Agriculture is drafting a policy that would
\nrestrict the importation of several fruit varieties in a bid to
\nprotect local farmers, but the move may trigger reciprocal
\nmeasures by affected countries and eventually harm Indonesian
\nexports.<\/p>\n
The ministry's Horticulture Production Director General
\nSumarno said on Thursday that the policy was also aimed at
\npreventing the spread of fruit flies in the country.<\/p>\n
\"We are now drafting a regulation on import restrictions in
\nthe form of ministerial decree. It is expected to be signed (by
\nthe minister) soon,\" Sumarno was quoted by Antara as saying.<\/p>\n
He said under the planned decree, the ministry wanted to limit
\nthe importation of 28 fruits, including avocados, star fruits,
\nbananas, durians, oranges and mangoes.<\/p>\n
He said the importation of the fruits would be restricted
\nduring harvesttime to protect local fruit farmers, who have
\nsuffered from the influx of higher quality and relatively cheaper
\nimported fruits.<\/p>\n
Sumarno said the ministry had long proposed an increase of
\nimport duties on fruits to 50 percent, from the current 5
\npercent, as an effort to protect local farmers. \"But the proposal
\nhas not been approved.\"<\/p>\n
A special team of officials from relevant ministries possess
\nthe authority to decide on the tariff policy for imported fruits.<\/p>\n
Sumarno said the planned restriction policy would also
\nregulate sanitation and hygiene for imported fruits.<\/p>\n
\"This requirement is important, so Indonesia will not turn
\ninto a dumping place for rejected fruit products,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He added that the planned policy would also ban fruit imports
\nfrom 100 countries to prevent the entry of fruit flies. He did
\nnot elaborate.<\/p>\n
Sumarno said at least 30 fruit fly species existed that could
\nharm the country's fruit plantations.<\/p>\n
Farmers have long complained about the massive importation of
\nimported fruits, particularly from the U.S., China, Thailand and
\nAustralia.<\/p>\n
Reports have said that farmers in East Java's Batu Malang, for
\nexample, had gradually closed their apple plantation, as they had
\nlost the battle against apples from overseas. The apple
\nproduction in the area has dropped to 1.25 tons per hectare (ha),
\nfrom the previous 5 tons per ha, as farmers shifted to other
\nhorticultural products.<\/p>\n
The volume of imported fruits surged after the government cut
\nthe import tariff for fruits during the late 1990s to around 5
\npercent, in keeping with the global liberalization drive, and
\nopened up the service sector, allowing giant foreign hypermarket
\noperators set up shop here.<\/p>\n
According to the ministry's data, the volume of imported
\nfruits jumped from 72,660 tons in 1994 to 247,366 tons in 2002,
\nand the figure continues to rise.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is seen as a lucrative market among fruit exporter
\ncountries.<\/p>\n
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, for instance, issued a
\nreport earlier this year saying that despite the crisis,
\nIndonesia's demand for imported fruits had continued to increase,
\nthus making it an important market. The report also said China
\nhas been aggressive in exporting fruits to Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The planned import restriction policy, which basically imposes
\nnon-tariff barriers, could prompt fruit exporting countries such
\nas the U.S. and China to retaliate in like manner. The two
\ncountries are key markets for Indonesia's non-oil and gas export
\nproducts, and could thus pose a serious threat to the
\ngovernment's efforts to boost exports.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-plans-to-curb-fruit-import-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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