Indonesia’s Quarantine Agency (Barantin) and New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) have reached an agreement to enhance pre-border quarantine protocols for onion exports from New Zealand to Indonesia.
Pre-border measures are domestic actions taken by a country to guarantee the safety and quality of its goods prior to export.
On Tuesday in Jakarta, Bambang, Deputy for Crop Quarantine at Barantin, declared that a protocol had been signed to revise an existing arrangement for importing raw onions into Indonesia.
Bambang highlighted the updated arrangement, which outlines phytosanitary standards for exporting onions from New Zealand to Indonesia, as a strong demonstration of the joint effort between Barantin and MPI to enhance trade relations.
Bambang noted that the revised agreement was finalized on Monday after bilateral discussions on technical aspects.
He emphasized the importance of enhancing pre-border quarantine protocols to safeguard Indonesia from the risk of harmful organisms in imported crops and underscored New Zealand’s responsibility in issuing phytosanitary certificates exclusively for top-quality onions that are free from contamination.
“This is essential to prevent a recurrence of the incident where New Zealand onions were denied entry due to quarantine issues,” Bambang added.
The official affirmed that his team would carry out on-site inspections in New Zealand or perform online checks if any concerns arise about the implementation and adherence to the agreement.
Lisa Winthrop, MPI’s Director of Import and Export Biosecurity Standards, conveyed optimism that the newly signed agreement could pave the way for restarting bilateral onion trade later this year. Additionally, she stressed Indonesia’s significance as a key market for New Zealand onion exports
TRADE WORLD | Indonesia to Expand U.S. Imports Ahead of Washington Visit
