Agricom.id, JAKARTA – Ministry of Trade temporarily does not run garlic import license and onion since Wednesday (18/3/2020). It has been running to erase the import approval or persetujuan impor (PI) and the surveyor report of the two commodities. It is regulated in the Regulation of Minister of Trade No. 27 / 2020 about the Changing on the Regulation of Minister of Trade No. 44 / 2019 about the Horticulture Product Import.

It is the follow up of what President told to provide and maintain the price of daily needs, such as, sugar, garlic, meat and others that should be provided from the domestic or from other countries. The daily needs should be easy to get and there would be no significant expensive price in the markets, particularly in facing the corona virus (Covid – 19) and heading to the fasting days and Idul Fitri 1441 H.

In one last month, the garlic has been abut Rp 70.000/kg and onion about Rp. 140.000/kg. They increase more than 100%. In facing the Covid – 19, to fulfill the stock, and having the cheaper daily needs, ministry of trade erased the import licenses.

The deletion of onion and garlic import licenses is the same with the Laws No. 13 / 2010 about Horticulture. The Chapter 88 paragraph (2) regulates that the horticulture product import could be done after getting the license from the ministry in charge in trade after getting the recommendation from the minister in charge in horticulture. The Laws No. 13 / 2020 just regulates the procedures to publish import license within the recommendation but does not decide kinds of products which need recommendation as in the Chapter 88 paragraph (2). It is regulated by the regulation of ministry in charge in horticulture.

As in the official statement to Agricom.id, by the deletion of the import approval as regulated in the Regulation of Minister of Trade No. 27 / 2020, every condition to import from Ministry of Trade and the recommendation to import approval of garlic and onion would not be needed. For example, kiwi, plum, lychee, and almond are not listed in the attachment of Regulation of Minister of Agriculture No. 39 / 2019 and do not need import license or recommendation. It means that garlic and onion could have the same thing with the products.

In the meeting of Teknis Kebijakan Hortikultura pada 24 March 2020, Head of Badan Karantina, Ministry of Agriculture said that, the quarantine procedure for import products, such as, garlic and onion in order to food security would have condition on Rekomendasi Impor Produk Hortikultura (RIPH) to supply the products. Ministry of trade suggested that every side should understand the pandemic of Covid – 19 and should take the fast action to secure the food needs for the people. The importers are suggested to advantage the relaxation well to fulfill the domestic needs. Ministry of trade also asked for the businessmen to help each other to provide the needs and should not pile the products. There would be sanction for the businessmen who break the regulation. Ministry of trade is in cooperation with the Food Task Force to make sure that there would be no businessmen take the advantage by piling the products that could be the loss for many. (A2)