The move aims to secure and expand market access for Indonesian fishery exports to China.
Speaking on the sidelines of the inspection's opening meeting here on Monday, acting head of the ministry's Marine and Fisheries Quality Control and Supervision Agency, Ishartini, said the joint inspection is a routine activity under the bilateral cooperation agreement between the two countries.
"This is a regular activity and a prerequisite for securing, and even expanding, market access and acceptance for our products in China," she said, according to a press release.
Ishartini explained that her office and GACC share a Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA), meaning only fisheries companies registered with both authorities are permitted to export and import fishery products.
Under the MRA, the two countries agree to conduct joint inspections to ensure that quality assurance systems meet international standards and their respective domestic regulations. This mechanism aims to maintain trust in product quality and ensure continuous market access.
During the inspection, teams from the ministry and GACC inspected three facilities out of the 648 Indonesian fish processing facilities registered with the GACC as of July 19, 2026.
According to the ministry's data from 2025, these three facilities exported over 5,000 tons of fishery products to China, valued at US$18 million.
The inspection assesses the implementation of sanitation, hygiene, food safety standards, and traceability systems within the production process.
Ishartini noted that the scope of the inspection covers frozen commodities, including ribbonfish, leatherjacket fish, cephalopods, swimming crabs, Spanish mackerel, conger eels, and sea snails.
Ministry data shows that Indonesia's fishery exports to China have reached 479,000 tons, valued at approximately US$1.2 billion, with key commodities including squid, seaweed, and ribbonfish.
Ishartini added that to maintain international market acceptance of Indonesian fishery products, her ministry regularly verifies compliance with export quality requirements through Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certification and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) compliance.
Furthermore, the ministry conducts regular monitoring and supervision of sanitation, hygiene, and food safety standards. This includes laboratory sampling to test for microbiological contaminants, residues, and chemical content.
To monitor fishery products in the domestic market, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries collaborates with the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM).
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Translator: Shofi Ayudiana, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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