New fees kill Gecko export business

New fees kill Gecko export business

Indonesia does not only export agriculture commodities or low-
end manufacturing products, but also geckos, those small lizards
that creep around on walls and eat insects.

About two months ago, the country's gecko exporters became
livid after a Ministry of Agriculture ruling required that the
lizard had to be included on the list of animals that must be
medically inspected for pests before shipment.

What enraged exporters was that they were required to pay
double the amount of the selling price, just for the inspection
fees, meaning they would lose money if they continued business.

Each gecko is sold for only around Rp 500 (roughly 5 U.S.
cents) overseas, but it costs Rp 1,000 each for the inspection
fee.

According to Thomas Dharmawan, chairman of the Indonesian Food
and Beverage Association (GAPMI), the policy triggered strong
protests from the exporters.

Geckos are currently a promising breed for export as many
countries such as China, Japan and Korea use the lizard for
medicine and food.

Demand for the lizard has increased enormously during the past
two years, but will surely dry up if the prices triple, as the
government's new fee will necessitate. --JP