No requirement for RI exports to pass S'pore<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The U.S. government has never required Indonesian agricultural
\nproducts bound for the U.S. market to be shipped via Singapore
\nfor security inspection, a statement from the U.S. Embassy in
\nIndonesia said, dismissing earlier media reports as erroneous.<\/p>\n
\"No new policy regarding U.S. imports of containerized
\nagricultural products from Indonesia has been implemented, nor is
\nany being contemplated,\" the statement said.<\/p>\n
The U.S. Embassy was commenting on earlier reports that all
\nagricultural products bound for the U.S. market had to undergo a
\ncontainer security check in Singapore in a bid to step up
\nsecurity against possible terrorism attacks.<\/p>\n
The policy is feared to hurt the country's exports as it might
\nbring additional costs, which would be borne by exporters.<\/p>\n
The statement, however, said that any Indonesian cargo, both
\nagricultural and nonagricultural, being shipped to the U.S. via
\nSingapore would be subject to a prescreening process.<\/p>\n
It explained that in January of this year, the U.S. Customs
\nlaunched a new policy called the Container Security Initiative
\n(CSI) to prevent containerized cargo from being exploited by
\nterrorists in the wake of the Sept. 11 incident.<\/p>\n
The U.S. Customs is focusing on 20 major foreign seaports
\nworldwide in which 70 percent of all U.S.-bound sea containers go
\nthrough. So far, 11 ports have joined the CSI. Singapore joined
\nthe CSI on June 4 of this year.<\/p>\n
The statement said that Indonesian cargo shipped to the U.S.
\nvia Indonesian ports would be handled as before, but would be
\nsubject to additional scrutiny upon arrival at its destination.<\/p>\n
The U.S. is the largest market for Indonesia's products,
\nincluding agricultural goods. Indonesian agricultural exports
\ninclude tea, coffee, shellfish, black pepper and rubber. In the
\n2002 fiscal year, which ran from October 2001 to September 2002,
\nagricultural, fishery and forestry exports to the U.S. amounted
\nto US$1.7 billion. Meanwhile, Indonesia's agricultural, fishery
\nand forestry imports from the U.S. amounted to $872 million.<\/p>\n
Aimed at advancing the security of sea cargo containers, the
\nCSI includes using automated information to identify target high-
\nrisk containers and placing U.S customs inspectors at major
\nforeign seaports to prescreen high-risk containers before
\narriving at U.S. ports.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Customs and Excise at
\nthe Ministry of Finance said it had no plans to follow in
\nSingapore's footsteps.<\/p>\n
\"The government has no plans to follow Singapore because we
\nhave different interests,\" Susiwijono, the spokesman for the
\nDirectorate General of Customs and Excise, said. He did not
\nprovide any further details.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/no-requirement-for-ri-exports-to-pass-spore-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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