Garlic Import Policy Must Be Evaluated

INDUSTRY.co.id - The Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) has asked the government to evaluate the policy of importing garlic, because it has not been able to help the commodity price drop in the market.

"Currently, more than 50 percent of domestic garlic needs are met from imports, although garlic imports are applied without using quota schemes but are not yet able to make the commodity prices stable," said Executive Director Indef Enny Sri Hartati in a press release in Jakarta, Thursday (22/3/2018).

According to her, the government must trace the cause of the high price of garlic in the market.

If it is purely due to increased demand, then the supply should be added.

"But certainly this is related to demand and supply, if there is an increase in supply shortages, this should be traced. If the quota system is still one cause, but if the tariff, maybe a late import permit or maybe the process in quarantine longer," she said.

In addition, continued Enny, with limited garlic production in the country, now the importation becomes the only way out so that supplies and prices are maintained.

However, Enny expects, the imports made not to make local garlic farmers lose.

"Import is actually nothing, as long as it does not disturb our farmers, for imported garlic is still large, because it can only be produced in the highlands," she said.

In 2018, the Ministry of Agriculture has issued a recommendation on the import of horticultural products (RIPH) of garlic commodity amounting to 450,000 tons while the realization of garlic importation in 2018 depends on import approval letter (SPI) from the Ministry of Commerce.

Currently, the Ministry of Trade has issued import approval of 125,984 tons to 13 companies owning general importer identification number (API) and two API-P of eight thousand tons of garlic.

Citing Food Info Jakarta site, the highest price of garlic is at Cibubur Market of Rp75.000 per kg and the lowest in Cengkareng Market worth Rp28.000 per kg, with the average price for the market in Jakarta of Rp40.484 per kg.