JAKARTA: Indonesia has launched its first direct export of frozen durian to China, shipping 48 tonnes of the commodity worth 5.1 billion rupiah (US$305,000) on Monday.
The frozen durian products, processed in West Java, were shipped from Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta and are bound for Qingdao Port in China.
“This marks the culmination of a long series of processes that took a considerable amount of time and required substantial resources,” head of the Agricultural Quarantine Agency (Barantin), Sahat M. Panggabean, said, adding that the process took nearly two years to complete.
According to Barantin, the export followed market observation showing strong Chinese consumer demand for durian with distinctive taste profiles, a segment Indonesia believes it can fill.
Until now, Chinese consumers have largely relied on regional supplies from Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Indonesian exporters, meanwhile, have mainly acted as upstream suppliers to these South-East Asian countries, which then process, package and re-export the products to China.
To change this dynamic, Barantin initiated government-to-government discussions with China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC).
These talks led China to issue a draft export protocol for Indonesian frozen durian, which was later finalised and signed on May 25 by Sahat and GACC Minister Sun Meijin, paving the way for direct shipments.
Acting Deputy for Plant Quarantine Drama Panca Putra said traceability was one of the most critical aspects of the export approval process, particularly for frozen durian packing houses.
So far, eight frozen durian packing houses have met the requirements to be designated as Export Oriented Quarantine Installations.
These facilities are authorised to conduct visual plant health inspections and serve as export hubs for frozen durian shipments to China.
Seven are located in Central Sulawesi, while one is in Bogor, West Java. All are registered in the China Import Food Enterprise Registration system. — The Jakarta Post/ANN
