A`lia ready to allow mangosteen imports from Indonesia

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Australian government has stated its readiness to allow mangosteen from Indonesia to enter its market as proposed by Jakarta, Agriculture Minister Anton Apriyantono said. 

So far, Australia had been applying long procedures and strict requirements to fruit imports from Indonesia but now Canberra would soon respond to Indonesia's proposal which was forwarded last year, the minister said. 

Apriyantono said the expression of Australia's preparedness to receive mangosteen from Indonesia was one of the results of his meeting with Australian Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Minister Tony Burke in Canberra recently. 

The minister was in Canberra last November 10-12 to attend an Indonesia-Australia Ministerial Forum meeting. 

According to the minister, Australia had so far been hesitant to let in mangosteen from Indonesia because of concern about the possibility of fruit flies being carried along by the fruit. 

He said in exchange for the entry of Indonesian mangosteen into the Australian market, Australia had asked Indonesia to lower import duties on horticultural products from Australia. 

In response to Australia's request, Indonesia would consider it and at the same time ask Australia to lift its non-tariff barrier for Indonesian mangosteen and snakefruit, Apriyantono said. 

At the meeting with Burke, Apriyantono had also reminded Australia of an agreement reached in Working Group on Agriculture, Food and Forestry Cooperation (WGAFFC) meetings in Brisbane last year and in Solo last August that it would help Indonesia develop water transportation technolgy with cooler systems for export of tropical fruit. 

The main destinations of Indonesian fruit exports at present were Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Malaysia and the Middle East. 

In 2007, Indonesia exported 9,093 tons of mangosteen worth US$4.95 million accounting for 15 percent of national production. 

"A regulation on quarantine procedures for the Indonesian fruit exports is being discussed by both countries' agriculture ministries," he said. 

Demand for mangosteen in Australia was currently being met with imports from Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines since domestic production only yielded 300 tons per year. 

The fruit in Australia was mostly consumed by ethnic Asians in Sydney and Melbourne where fresh mangosteens cost A$60-70 AUSD per tray or about 20-30 fruits.