Barantin tightens commodity surveillance throughout Lebaran exodus 2026
Jakarta — Indonesia’s Quarantine Agency (Barantin) is tightening surveillance of commodity traffic at various entry points throughout Indonesia during the Lebaran exodus period in March 2026, through the Compliant Quarantine Operation to be held 13-27 March 2026.
Head of Barantin Sahat Manaor Panggabean stated that the surveillance is being conducted to ensure food safety and quality whilst protecting the public from threats of animal, fish, and plant diseases amid increased mobility during the Lebaran period.
“We will conduct surveillance and enforcement against food commodities that do not meet quarantine requirements in accordance with Law No. 21 of 2019 concerning the Quarantine of Animals, Fish, and Plants,” said Sahat, based on his statement in Jakarta on Friday.
He explained that the Compliant Quarantine Operation targets commodities of animals, fish, and plants along with their derivative products that potentially carry disease vectors, such as meat, eggs, rice, vegetables, and fruits.
Surveillance is focused on major transit points, including seaports, airports, and land borders at international crossing posts.
Furthermore, he appealed to the public to comply with quarantine regulations by reporting commodities they carry to quarantine officers to prevent the spread of animal, fish, and plant diseases.
“We appeal to the public to actively participate in the protection of biological natural resources by reporting the commodities they bring to quarantine officers,” said Sahat.
Violations of quarantine provisions can be subject to criminal penalties of imprisonment and fines in accordance with Law No. 21 of 2019 on the Quarantine of Animals, Fish, and Plants.
Barantin’s Head of Legal and Public Relations Bureau, Hudiansyah Is Nursal, representing the Law Enforcement Ad Hoc Task Force (Satgas Gakkum) of Barantin, stated that the agency is deploying 3,930 personnel in the operation.
“We are deploying 3,930 personnel distributed across 161 inspection points for import and export locations that have been designated throughout Indonesia,” said Hudiansyah.
In addition to official inspection points, surveillance is also being conducted at import and export locations that have not yet been designated by the law enforcement team of each technical implementation unit.
Over the three-week Ramadan period, Barantin together with related agencies has thwarted several smuggling attempts, including lobster seeds in Yogyakarta, sea turtle eggs in West Kalimantan, and the rejection of unfit poultry for consumption in Papua.
“We will continue to conduct surveillance and enforcement to ensure food safety and quality,” he said.
He added that surveillance is also being conducted on wildlife trafficking as well as rare animal and plant species.
Barantin is working in partnership with several institutions such as the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI), the National Police (Polri), and the Ministry of Transport in monitoring commodity traffic during the Lebaran exodus period in 2026.