The Indonesia government will soon require registered horticulture importers to gain a permit from either the trade or agriculture minister before bringing produce into the country.
According to a report by Indonesian Finance Today, the permit requirement is to be included in the country’s Ministerial Decree relating to the import and export of horticultural products.
The inclusion comes in addition to measures recently reported by Fruitnet that limit to four the number of ports at which fresh produce can enter the country.
“There are 43 products that will be regulated, including potato, onion, corn and soy bean," the country’s director general of foreign trade Deddy Saleh said. "Imports can only be conducted by registered importers who have permits.”
The country will also take steps to tighten border quarantine activities and increase label and packaging requirements.
Imports of fresh vegetables to Indonesia have increased significantly in recent years, more than doubling from 251,903 tonnes of selected fresh vegetables in 2000, to 551,844 tonnes in 2011, according to figures from the Indonesian Bureau of Statistics.
