Government bans shrimp imports

Zakki P. Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government announced on Thursday a six-month ban on shrimp imports from all countries starting Dec. 28, saying the move was made to protect the local industry and consumers from a suspected contamination from imported seafood.

The import ban, enacted through a joint decree signed by Minister of Trade Mari E. Pangestu and Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Freddy Numberi, excludes shrimp for science purposes and those under import contract signed before Dec. 2.

"There is some imported shrimp that allegedly has been contaminated ... particularly with chlroramphenicol and nitrofuran, which could pose a health threat to domestic consumers," Freddy explained.

"We shall examine the case over a six-month period," he added.

Fears of contamination have been on the rise as Indonesia's shrimp imports increase this year, he said.

Indonesia's shrimp imports jumped to 10,614 tons in the first ten months of 2004 from 2,047 last year, according to Freddy.

The Minister of Trade representative Halida Miljani dismissed a suggestion that the measure was a way to prevent other producer countries from entering Indonesia's large market.

Earlier this year, the U.S. imposed high antidumping duties on shrimp imports from most producer countries, which effectively banned them from the market. The countries affected were China, Thailand, India, Vietnam and Malaysia.

According to reports from domestic shrimp farmers, many businessmen re-exported shrimp from the sanctioned countries to the U.S. with an Indonesian label.

Halida, a former Indonesian Ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO), said the measure would not spark retaliation from the producer countries, as it could be categorized as a "biosecurity move", which is allowed under the WTO regulation.