The Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) highlights the importance of standardization to expand the export market for Indonesian agricultural products, as many countries have implemented international quality standards for agricultural imports. "We aim to standardize our agricultural products. Currently, many of our products, like mangoes, bananas, and oranges, are abundant but are not accepted in certain countries because they do not meet the desired standards," stated Head of the Agricultural Instrument Standardization Agency, Fadjry Djufry, in Jakarta on Monday. To address this, Kementan is promoting the adoption of qualification standards that go beyond the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) to include the international standards required for entry into foreign markets. Djufry emphasized the ministry's efforts to assure the Japanese government that Indonesian mangoes are free from fruit fly contamination, with hopes of starting mango exports to Japan within the next month.
He also noted that Indonesia has a significant opportunity to benefit from the export of agricultural products due to numerous innovations by the government, including the development of 307 superior varieties covering staple foods. According to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), Indonesian agricultural exports in January 2024 increased by 5.32% compared to the previous month and rose by 0.11% year-on-year. BPS reported that the increase in agricultural exports was driven by products such as palm oil and bird nests. In conclusion, the Ministry of Agriculture is actively working to implement international quality standards to ensure broader market acceptance and to boost the export potential of Indonesian agricultural products.
