VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo has released shipments of 13.19 thousand tons of agricultural products worth Rp586.7 billion (US$41 million) to 26 countries.

The destination countries include the United States, Britain, Poland, Japan, South Korea, China, Thailand, and Latvia, he informed.

"This export is a concrete step in following President Jokowi's (Joko Widodo's) instructions," he said at the Jakarta International Container Terminal Office (JICT) Tanjung Priok, Jakarta, on Thursday.

He informed that at the time agricultural exports were released on August 17, 2021, the export rate had increased slightly by Rp7.2 trillion (almost US$504 million) in just 7 days in 341 districts and cities.

The increase illustrated that there are many products that can be used as export commodities, such as ants, larvae, and maggots, the minister said.

One example were the black and red Papuan ant nests that were exported to South Korea, he added.

"If imports represent a shortage, (then) our exports have done something for the country," he remarked.

It is expected that agricultural stakeholders will join in the effort to boost exports, Limpo said. President Jokowi has urged each region to export agricultural commodities, he noted.

As many as 26 types of commodities are currently being exported, including coconut water, round coconut, areca nut, dried larvae, pet food, and pepper, he said.

Limpo also presented health and phytosanitary certificates to the representative of Premix exporter PT Jati Perkasa Nusantara, coconut water exporter PT. Pacific Eastern Coconut Utama, and areca nut exporter PT. Patel Trading.

From January to October 2021, the value of agricultural exports reached Rp518.85 trillion (US$36 billion), an increase of 47.30 percent compared to the same period of 2020, when exports were recorded at Rp352.09 trillion (almost US$25 billion), the minister noted.

He also stressed the importance of agricultural quarantine, which is considered a necessary precaution for a large country with many islands like Indonesia.

He elaborated that inspections by laboratories, examinations of samples, and innovations regarding commodities of interest are important.

"Don't think that quarantine is just a precaution, what is being guarded is microbes, animal and plant diseases that can spread to our agricultural commodities. Quarantine is very important so as not to spread disease. No one enters our country without supervision," the minister remarked. (Antaranews)