Deputy for Fish Quarantine at Barantin Drama Panca Putra, in an official statement here on Saturday, explained that the pre-border quarantine policy is implemented to ensure only fishery commodities that are healthy, safe, and meet international standards can enter Indonesia.
"The pre-border policy is not merely for service efficiency but also protection against the threat of the entry of quarantined fish pests and diseases," he said.
According to him, the policy boosts Indonesia's logistics competitiveness globally while ensuring health inspections of fish and fish products are carried out directly in the country of origin before being shipped to Indonesia.
That way, the quarantine process that previously took 43 hours on average at ports or airports can be cut drastically to only five hours.
In addition to accelerating the flow of goods by up to eight times, the policy can potentially save logistics costs and prevent losses in fish quality of up to Rp1.07 trillion (around US$65.1 million) per year.
The domestic industry is also benefiting from the presence of higher quality raw materials to support production and exports.
Furthermore, the pre-border quarantine policy is also a manifestation of Indonesia's commitment to carrying out international mandates, such as the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures under the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The policy has also reaffirmed Indonesia's position as an archipelagic country with a modern biosecurity system that is adaptive, responsive, and on par with that of developed countries.
Based on data from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, in the period of 2024-2025, Indonesia's fishery commodities imports are expected to reach 8.77 million kilograms with a trade value of US$85.44 million.
Norway is Indonesia's biggest source of imported fish with a volume of 5.52 million kilograms and a trade value of US$50.1 million.
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Translator: Lintang Budiyanti, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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