Indonesia Expanded Prior Notice Requirement Effective October 6, 2024

ID2024-0027 – On August 14, 2024, FAS Jakarta published a report summarizing an Indonesian Quarantine Agency notification to the WTO which stated that exporters must submit “prior notice” before shipping all agricultural commodities. The requirement to provide “prior notice” of shipments was previously limited to plant products (e.g. fresh horticultural products and grains) but the notification indicated this requirement would be extended to all agricultural products (e.g. meat, dairy, fishery products, and seeds). The U.S. Government submitted detailed comments regarding its concerns about this measure. IQA confirmed on September 30, 2024 that this requirement will come into effect on October 6, 2024. Post is actively working to ascertain more details on the implementation of this measure and provide feedback to IQA.

Indonesian Quarantine Agency Notifies WTO on Requirements to Submit Prior Notice for the Export of All Agricultural Commodities

ID2024-0023 – On July 4, 2024, the Indonesian Quarantine Agency (IQA) notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) of their plans to issue a new regulation regarding Quarantine Documents and Seals under notification number G/SPS/N/IDN/149. The draft regulation has notable provisions which require that prior to a shipment’s departure from the port of embarkation, exporters of all agricultural commodities are required to submit “prior notice,” a document that includes requirements such as a Certificate of Analysis (COA) and information regarding a product’s GMO status, for every shipment. The IQA is accepting comments until September 2, 2024, and plans to provide further information in a public dissemination session close to the comment period deadline sometime in late August.

ASEAN Collaborates with USDA to Hold Agricultural Biotechnology Workshop

ID2024-0006
From March 4-6, 2024, 26 representatives from all ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Timor-Leste participated in a USDA-funded agricultural biotechnology workshop – along with dozens of private sector stakeholders at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia. Representatives from each member state presented on regulations and research updates in their countries, and engaged in substantive conversations on balancing the need to assure the food safety of genetically engineered products with the need to innovate and meet increasing food security challenges. Day 2 of the workshop consisted of a field trip to an Indonesian potato farm growing GE blight resistant potatoes and the University of Padjadjaran which is developing GE catfish.

Indonesia Accredits Five US Halal Certifying Bodies

ID2024-0005
On March 1, the Government of Indonesia’s Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) listed five U.S. halal certifying bodies (HCBs) on its website as fully accredited to issue halal certificates for U.S. products destined for the Indonesian market. The accreditation of these five HCBs is vital to providing U.S. suppliers with as many halal certification service providers as possible before enforcement of Indonesia’s mandatory halal certification law for most food and beverage products begins on October 17, 2024. U.S. producers seeking to send halal-eligible products to Indonesia should apply for halal certification either directly with the Indonesian government or through an accredited U.S. HCB. Mandatory halal certification does not apply to non-eligible products (i.e., haram/forbidden products such as those containing pork, alcohol, and other forbidden ingredients).

BPJPH Mandates Registration of Foreign Halal Certificates for Imports

ID2024-0002
Indonesia’s Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) recently promulgated a new decree requiring imported products’ halal certificates issued by foreign halal certifying bodies be registered with BPJPH prior to the importation and distribution of the products within Indonesia. This report describes the registration process.

FAIRS Annual Country Report Annual 

ID2023-0031
This report provides updated technical information for requirements and regulations on food and agricultural products as currently required by the Government of Indonesia (GOI). Sections that have been updated for this year include Food Additive Regulations; Labeling Requirements; Other Requirements, Regulations, and Registrations Measures; and Import Procedures. The appendices have also been updated and a section on Trade Facilitation has been added.

FAIRS Export Certificate Report Annual

ID2023-0032
This report supplements information provided in the 2023 Indonesia FAIRS Country Report and updates the 2022 Indonesian FAIRS Export Certificate Report.

Agricultural Biotechnology Annual

ID2023-0022
President Jokowi stated his support for the utilization of genetically engineered (GE) crops (i.e., soybeans) in his September 2022 speech. To date, ten GE events have been allowed for cultivation in Indonesia (i.e., one GE sugarcane, one GE potato, and eight GE corn varieties).

Indonesia Climate Change Report

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Indonesia is a key stakeholder and an active participant at global environmental fora. Home to a vast swathe of rainforest, Indonesia is ranked as the world’s tenth largest emitter of greenhouse gases (GHG), mainly due to land-use change and energy sector emissions. Indonesia is the world’s dominant producer and exporter of palm oil, which is a source of controversy in Indonesia’s environmental debate on the international stage. This report provides an overview of Indonesia’s key international climate change commitments and domestic policies, as well as U.S. government and USDA initiatives to partner with Indonesia on environmental initiatives.

Pertamina Rolls Out E5 Blending in June 2023

ID2023-0013
State-owned Indonesian energy company Pertamina will launch a new gasoline product containing 5 percent ethanol in late June 2023, utilizing ethanol derived from domestic sugarcane. According to Presidential Regulation 40/2023, Indonesia aims to produce 1.2 billion liters of sugarcane ethanol by 2030. Implementation of an eventual E10 blending mandate nationwide would require an estimated 890 million liters of ethanol per year, equal to 17 percent of total U.S. ethanol exports in 2022.