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February 19, 2025 | 03:58 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) responds to the Ministry of Trade’s statement that the delay on about 50 import permits on fishery products was due to its request.
The Director of Logistics at the Directorate General of Strengthening of Competitiveness of Marine and Fishery Products, Berny Achmad Subki, clarified that the advisory his side issued on January 14 was aimed at urging suppliers to prioritize local raw materials.
Berny denied the Trade Ministry’s claim that his ministry requested the import permits to be withheld. “Import permits are entirely within the Ministry of Trade’s authority," he told Tempo yesterday.
The import permits have been finalized in a limited meeting with the Coordinating Ministry of Food Affairs on December 23, 2024, said Berny. Thus, the Ministry of Trade should have rolled out the permits already.
Berny said the issuance of import permits is expected to be streamlined as the Coordinating Ministry on Food Affairs is now authorized to handle the matters instead of the Coordinating Ministry on Economic Affairs.
From documents seen by Tempo, a circular letter numbered B.111/DJPDSPKP.2/PDS.120/I/2025 advised businesses on "the use of domestically produced fish for the supply of raw materials for the fish processing industry."
The letter, dated January 14, 2025, explained that the production of raw material fish for the fish processing industry from 2021 to 2023 had experienced an average annual increase of 4 percent. The letter stated that by early 2025, the production of raw material fish for the fish processing industry was projected to increase compared to the previous period.
Therefore, KKP advised every fisheries business to postpone the realization of imports for the use of raw materials for the fish processing industry. The ministry also requested they prioritize the use of domestic supplies in the first two months of 2025. The letter was signed electronically by Berny on behalf of the Director General of Strengthening of Competitiveness.
Iman Kustiaman, Director of Imports at the Directorate General of Foreign Trade at the Ministry of Trade, previously admitted to the delay on the import permits, with the majority being requests for fish imports for the fish processing industry.
According to Iman, approximately 80 percent of the total 253 requests have been approved, a figure that some entrepreneurs Tempo interviewed doubted. They said the numbers were higher.
Normally, the ministry would issue import permits within five business days, in accordance with Ministerial Regulation No. 36 of 2023, which has been revised multiple times, most recently through Ministerial Regulation No. 8 of 2024.
Iman maintained that the withheld permits were due to the request from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries. The ministry requested the postponement of fish imports because food supplies were currently abundant in Indonesia.
Another possible reason for the delay, Iman argued, was that the delayed requests were being investigated for possible import violations. “In principle, despite all limitations, we continue to work our hardest in providing business licences,” said Iman to Tempo on Sunday, February 17, 2025.
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