THE Philippines resumed exporting shallots to Indonesia after the trade was disrupted in 2015 in a dispute over Indonesian pest-free certification requirements.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said in a statement issued on July 12 that the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) in Jakarta reported the resumption of the trade, which was secured in partnership with the Philippine Agriculture Attaché in Bangkok.
According to the DTI, Philippine exporter Sparkle Corp. sent 130 metric tons (MT) of shallots to Indonesia this month.
“On June 8, 2022, (the) Indonesian Minister of Agriculture issued an import permit valid for six months to CV Barokah Agri Indo for 300 MT of shallots from the Philippines. As of July 8, 2022, Sparkle Corp., a Philippine exporter, shipped a total of 130 MT of the commodity to Indonesia,” the DTI said.
Asked to comment, Jakarta-based PTIC Commercial Attachè Jeremiah C. Reyes told BusinessWorld via Viber that the trade was disrupted after Jakarta insisted on pest-free certification for shallot-producing provinces.
“Indonesia (required that) our identified shallot-producing provinces (be certified as pest-free) and compliant with good agricultural practices,” Mr. Reyes said.
“We negotiated that together with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and this year, Indonesia finally issued the permits for us to resume exports,” he added.
According to the DTI, Indonesia was the Philippines’ eighth-largest trading partner in 2021.
“This development signals opportunity for Philippine exporters to cater to the strong demand for shallots in Indonesia,” the DTI said. —Revin Mikhael D. Ochave