Indonesia eases entry of Philippine agriculture products

• Apr 02, 2019

MANILA, Philippines — The Indonesian government is easing restrictions on Philippine agricultural exports as both countries seek to strengthen bilateral relations.

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said Indonesia has officially lifted restrictions on local fruit exports.

“They already issued the certificates today, removing all the restrictions for the export of banana and other fruits because their requirements before is they would inspect every shipment,” Piñol said.

The Philippines has long been asking Indonesia to ease their  protocols and open their  market for agricultural products coming from the Philippines.

“They had lots of restrictions, including minimum residue level among others. They really shut down our access to their market with measures that (we had a hard time complying),” Piñol said.

The agri chief said the agency is now in talks with Indonesian officials to get access to Indonesian supermarkets for the local shallots.

“Right now, prices of onions are quite low. I want it done right away, we are okay to export which we also did in the past so now, we are seeking help to gain access immediately,” he said.

Government data showed that Indonesia exports $1 billion worth of agricultural products to the Philippines mainly palm oil while allowing only a measly $50 million of exports from the Philippines.

The Philippines used to export a huge volume of horticultural products to Indonesia, including shallots and tobacco but restrictive import policies imposed tilted the trade balance in favor of Indonesia.

Source: https://www.philstar.com/business/2019/04/02/1906441/indonesia-eases-entry-philippine-agriculture-products#q4khGXEcfBw45Iee.99