Govt plans to limit shrimp imports<\/p>\n
Zakki P. Hakim, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Industry and Trade unveiled proposals on Thursday
\nto tighten up the rules on shrimp imports, particularly from
\ncountries affected by U.S. antidumping tariffs.<\/p>\n
The proposed measures will focus on restricting imports to
\nthose undertaken by shrimp processing companies, and requiring
\nthe importers to have certificates of origin for the imported
\nshrimp, according to a document presented during a seminar on the
\nissue.<\/p>\n
But senior ministry official Faiz Achmad said that a final
\ndecision had yet to be made.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Fishing Industry Association (Gappindo)
\nrecently complained of rising shrimp imports from countries like
\nChina, Thailand, India and Vietnam -- all of which have been
\naffected by the U.S. antidumping tariffs. Following the
\nimposition of tariffs, shrimp from these countries have been
\nexported to the U.S. through Indonesia as a transshipment point.<\/p>\n
But there are now growing fears that if this continues, the
\nU.S. will also impose antidumping tariffs on all shrimp coming
\nfrom Indonesia, something that would also hurt genuine local
\nexporters. If this were to happen, the local shrimp market would
\nsuffer from oversupply, which in turn would put pressure on
\nprices and hurt local shrimp farmers.<\/p>\n
Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Rokhmin Dahuri, who
\nhad earlier proposed a temporary ban on imports starting next
\nyear as farmers start their harvests, said he would support the
\nMinistry of Industry and Trade proposal.<\/p>\n
But he said that any reexport of imported shrimp must follow
\nfurther processing here so as to provide added value.<\/p>\n
According to figures from the Ministry of Industry and Trade,
\nlast year Indonesia imported 2,621 tons of shrimp -- amounting to
\nonly 0.55 percent of the country's total production of 478,847
\ntons.<\/p>\n
But imports have started to accelerate this year, with the
\nimport volume already having reached 2,600 tons in the first half
\nof the year, according to the ministry data.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, exports to the U.S. in the first four months of
\nthis year reached 10,202 tons, compared to an average annual
\nexport volume of 17,546 tons.<\/p>\n
Shrimp is Indonesia's top export commodity in the agricultural
\nsector, producing earnings of US$2.45 billion and $2.59 billion
\nin 2001 and 2002 respectively.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-plans-to-limit-shrimp-imports-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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