Barantin Seeks Free Quarantine Services for MSMEs to Boost Exports
The Indonesian Quarantine Agency (Barantin) is seeking to waive quarantine service fees for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to expand access for national products to export markets. Barantin Head Abdul Kadir Karding stated the relief is intended for MSMEs that genuinely meet the criteria and are not entities established by large businesses as a means to obtain cheaper service rates. “For MSMEs, we have a policy, if possible, to make it all free. The important thing is that the MSME is not one formed by large companies as a modus operandi to seek low costs,” Karding said in Jakarta on Thursday. The statement was made following the signing of a Cooperation Agreement between Barantin and the Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH).
According to Karding, quarantine service rates for export commodities are, in principle, relatively low, so they are not expected to burden businesses. He cited the example of a quarantine service fee for exporting one tonne of palm kernel meal being set at Rp100. “For exports, our rates are very low. For example, one tonne of palm kernel meal is charged only Rp100,” he said. Karding noted that Barantin is striving to balance supervision of commodity traffic with providing service conveniences for businesses. The streamlined services are still accompanied by inspections to ensure commodities meet health and biosecurity requirements as well as the regulations of destination countries.
The export value of commodities receiving quarantine certification reached Rp393.2 trillion as of 17 December 2025, relatively stable compared to the 2024 achievement of Rp396.1 trillion. Throughout January to 17 December 2025, Barantin issued approximately 2.6 million certification documents for export, import, and inter-area commodity movement activities. The role of quarantine services is also evident in the export of duck feathers from East Java. During the first half of 2026, the East Java Quarantine office facilitated the export of 916.2 tonnes of duck feathers worth Rp60.24 billion through 26 certificates to China, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Thailand. In 2025, exports of the commodity reached 2,580 tonnes worth Rp241.09 billion through 83 shipments.
Barantin also provides assistance to businesses in understanding quarantine requirements and destination country regulations so that regional commodities can enter international markets. Karding expressed hope that synergy with BPJPH would help accelerate export and import services through data integration and coordinated inspections without adding to service times for businesses. “The important thing is that export-import products move quickly. Even though they are inspected, it must be fast,” he said. The cooperation agreement between Barantin and BPJPH covers joint supervision, law enforcement for suspected violations, data integration, and human resource capacity building through joint training.