October 19, 2025 | 09:43 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) has successfully reached a dispensation agreement with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), allowing thousands of Indonesian shrimp containers to enter the US market.
The agreement was reached on October 18, 2025, US time, following a series of intensive negotiations. This diplomatic effort was prompted by the US government's new import policy, Import Alert (IA) #99-52, which is scheduled to take effect on October 31, 2025.
Ishartini, Head of the Quality Control and Monitoring Agency for Marine and Fisheries Products, stated that after the negotiations in a special forum, the FDA approved the entry of thousands of Indonesian shrimp containers.
"They have granted dispensation for thousands of Indonesian shrimp containers that are en route and will arrive in the US after October 31, 2025," she said, as quoted by Antara on Sunday, October 19, 2025.
The Import Alert and Exporter Concerns
Import Alert #99-52 is an FDA policy that imposes strict surveillance on shrimp products from Indonesia, particularly those originating from Java and Lampung. The policy's goal is to ensure the absence of radioactive contamination, specifically Cesium 137.
Once the policy takes effect on October 31, 2025, every product from the affected regions must be accompanied by an official certificate from competent Indonesian authorities confirming the absence of Cesium 137 contamination before entering the US market.
The policy raised serious concerns among shrimp exporters and national industry stakeholders. When the regulation was announced, thousands of Indonesian shrimp containers were already in transit, destined to arrive in the US past the deadline without the newly required documents.
"We convinced the FDA that over 1,000 shrimp containers arriving after October 31 have undergone rigorous quality assurance processes and are accompanied by the Fisheries Product Quality Certificate (SMKHP) issued by the KKP," Ishartini confirmed.
She mentioned that upon arrival in the US, all these shrimp containers will still undergo a final inspection by the FDA to ensure the absence of Cesium 137 radioactive contamination, in line with the applicable regulations. Similar inspections also apply to shrimp containers that enter before the October 31 deadline.
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