September 2, 2009

Indonesia to allow Brazilian beef imports

Indonesia has decided to allow Brazilian beef imports to expand food diversity, according to an agricultural minister official on Tuesday (Sept 1).

A ministerial decree regarding the import decision was issued on August 11, with immediate effect, said Tjeppy Soedjana, director general of livestock production at the ministry.

Most of Indonesia's beef imports came from Australia and New Zealand, which accounted for about 30 percent of the country's 396,500 tonnes of beef consumption in 2007.

Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation, and requires imported beef products to pass Islamic halal standards for food consumption.