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Monitoring on Meat Import Strengthened
Jakarta - The government will strengthen control on meat and egg import. An Agriculture Minister decree on the issue has been made and will soon be notified to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The decree is expected to be implemented by this year. Head of the Animal Quarantine and Animal Biological Safety Center of the Agricultural Quarantine Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Sujarwanto, on Thursday (6/1) in Jakarta, said the notification to the WTO will take 3 months, and after that it will be signed by the Ministry of Agriculture.
By strengthening control on the import of fresh animal products, it is expected the quality of imported products will increase and meet the standards issued by the ministry concerning hormone, heavy metal, and drug residues.
The control of beef and cattle offal import is considered still weak (Kompas, 4/1). Until September 2010, import has reached 104,000 tons and some are still coming from countries that are infected by infectious animal diseases.
In response to that news, Sujarwanto explained that the quarantine agency is doing all its efforts to control the import of beef. Verification is implemented starting from import permits, commodity volume, type, disease status, country of origin, halal certificate, veterinary control number, and shipping mark written on the boxes and certificate.
Collaboration with exporting countries is also maintained, including the use of electronic certificates which could be monitored anytime. Such collaboration has been established with New Zealand.
“Currently we are developing a service for the issuing of import permits, starting from application until control,” he said. Data from the Quarantine Agency reveals that beef and cattle offal import in 2010 was 119.075 tons.
General Chairman of the Indonesian Cattle and Buffalo Farmer Association, Teguh Boediyana, said that import increased because domestic production could not meet the demands of beef. Investment in agricultural sectors, animal husbandry in particular, is not too appealing, partly because of bureaucracy and permit challenges.
Expert staff of the Agriculture Minister for the Agricultural Investment Division, Syukur Iwantoro, said that bureaucracy issues hampering investments in agriculture is beyond the control of the ministry, as it is a consequence of regional autonomy. Investing permits, including principle permits, is the authority of the regional government. (MAS)
Source : Kompas