February 6, 2008

China lifts ban on Indonesian seafood

China lifted its six-month ban seafood products coming from Indonesia after the two parties held series of negotiations.

Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Ministry spokesman, Saut P. Hutagalung, told The Jakarta Post that his office received information from Beijing that the Chinese government has lifted the ban on all seafood imports since Monday.

Saut explained that China agreed to revoke the ban after it sent a team of experts to Indonesia and found the seafood products to meet international standards.

During the visit, Indonesia and China also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on food standards and security to ensure that similar incidents would not occur.

The fisheries ministry estimates Indonesian seafood exports to China to reach US$150 million each year.

In August, China banned all Indonesian seafood imports after some reported findings of toxins, dangerous chemicals and pathogens.

Chinese officials said Indonesian products had been tainted by mercury and cadmium, metals that can accumulate in water and soil as a result of burning garbage, mining and other industrial processes.

Both have been linked to nerve damage, cancer and other health problems.

China also said the products had been found to contain nitrofural, an anti-bacterial agent that has caused cancer in laboratory animals, as well as pathogens that cause diseases, although it did not mention any individual cases or products.