Jakarta ( WNAM MONITORING): Indonesia has secured duty-free entry for its processed tuna and skipjack tuna from Japan.
This was marked by the signing of a draft agreement on the Indonesia-Japan Economic Partnership (IJEPA) protocol amendment by the KKP Ministry and the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs on August 8, 2024.
The processed products will include four tariff posts, namely skipjack and other bonito in airtight containers (HS 1604.14.010), tunas in airtight containers (HS 1604.14.092), skipjack and other bonito boiled and dried (HS 1604.14.091), and others (HS 1604.14.099).
“This agreement is a gift for our country ahead of Independence Day, and it is expected to increase exports of these products to Japan and attract investment in the fisheries sector in Indonesia,” the ministry’s director general of marine and fisheries products competitiveness strengthening, Budi Sulistiyo, said.
The two products, namely skipjack and other bonito boiled and dried and the others category, need additional requirements with a minimum raw material length of 30 centimeters.
In this regard, the KKP Ministry and the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF) are finalizing operational procedures through goods certificates.
“Indonesia proposes using the Fish Catch Certificate (SHTI) to fulfill the requirements, given that SHTI has been harmonized with the Japan Catch Documentation Scheme (JCDS),” Sulistiyo said.
In addition to the four tariff posts for processed products, Indonesia has also secured a zero percent tariff exemption for 67 tariff posts for fishery products sent to the Japanese market, including frozen yellowtail tuna, fresh tilapia fillets, frozen swordfish fillets, shellfish, processed lobsters, and frozen crabs.
The agreements will begin to be implemented after they are ratified by the parliaments of both countries, he added.
