Access for US apples reinstated with effect from 16 October, enabling exporters to resume shipments for the 2024/25 season
US apples have regained entry to the Indonesian market after the Indonesian Quarantine Office announced the lifting of restrictions in a statement last week.
Access was suspended on 16 April this year after Indonesia excluded apples from the renewed recognition of US Fresh Food of Plant Origin (UFFPO) agreement. At the time, the US Northwest Horticultural Council said the reason for the exclusion was unclear.
The Indonesian Quarantine Office announced on 16 October that it had added apples back onto the FFPO list, enabling shipments to resume with immediate effect.
President of the Northwest Horticultural Council, Mark Powers, hailed the announcement as “excellent news” for the Washington apple industry.
“This decision now allows our shippers to start selling fruit to their customers in Indonesia for the first time since 16 April,” Powers told Asiafruit.
“We appreciate the efforts the two governments have made to reopen the market and allow US growers and Indonesian consumers to continue the positive relationship they have enjoyed for so many decades.”
The Washington State apple industry shipped more than 612,000 cartons (18kg) of apples to Indonesia worth over US$11mn FOB in 2022/23, according to data shared by the Washington Apple Commission.
Prior to the suspension in April, shipments from September 2023 to April 2024 totalled around 562,000 cartons. After the new restrictions, volumes plummeted to around 3,400 cartons.
New president of the Washington Apple Commission, Michael Schadler, was excited about the reopening but realistic about the challenges ahead.
“With a population of almost 300mn, Indonesia is the fourth largest country in the world and an important market for Washington apple exports,” Schadler told Asiafruit.
“The reduced access of the market over the last year was a significant concern for Washington shippers, so this news has been received very positively.
“Competition is intense in the Indonesian market among apple exporting countries, which means we will have to work hard to regain market share.
“In the coming weeks, the Washington Apple Commission will restart its promotional efforts in the country to help in that effort.”
The sudden suspension of access for US apples in April forced importers to switch to alternative supply origins.
New Zealand, as an established supplier, saw increased demand for its fruit. Importers noted that it also gave them an opportunity to develop sales of different varieties such as Ambrosia, Breeze, Dazzle, Envy and Sonya.
Turkey also benefited from the absence of US apples as one of the few alternative sources for Red Delicious in particular.
China remains by far the dominant player in the Indonesian apple market, especially with its Fuji variety, but key importers welcomed the re-entry of US apples as a competing Northern Hemisphere supply origin.
“This is good news as it means there is another option for the market, not only Chinese apples,” said Hendry Sim, vice director of leading importer, Laris Manis Utama. “We’ll also look at importing many other varieties besides Red Delicious this year as Red Delicious is becoming less popular in Indonesia.”
Sim singled out US Envy and Gala as two varieties with good potential for growth.
Nevertheless, Washington Red Delicious retains somewhat iconic status in the Indonesian market and it remains popular among consumers, according to Bella Lie, head of fruit sourcing for Mulia Raya.
“US Washington apples are famous for their Red Delicious variety and no other country can do it as well as these guys,” Lie said in August while access was still suspended.
“For us, there’s not really any substitute for Red Delicious in the market, we’ve had to explore other varieties from other countries to fill the void.”
