Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture is negotiating to open up the Australian market for its mangosteens, according to a senior official, and the two countries are currently discussing a quarantine protocol.

Zaenal Bachruddin, director general for processing and marketing of agricultural products, said Indonesia’s mangosteen exports stacked up to 9,039 tonnes in 2007 worth US$4.95m, according to Yahoo News.

Mangosteens are one of Indonesia’s most successful products, accounting for about half of all horticultural exports from the country.

“Indonesia’s main mangosteen export market destinations are Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Malaysia and the Middle East,” said Mr Bachruddin, in a statement read out to a mangosteen agroindustry development workshop in Bandung on Tuesday.

He said Australia was importing most of its mangosteens from Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines, and Australian domestic production only amounted to 300 tonnes a year.

“It’s been a priority to get mangosteens into Australia,” Josep Joemono of mangosteen exporter PT Agung Mustika Selarus told Fruitnet in August.

“It’s an ongoing process, and we’re still working on it, but this year we want to get approval to get into Australia.”

Production of mangosteens in Indonesia reached 62,711 tonnes in 2005, but the country’s major competitor, Thailand, was able to produce 162,788 tonnes as early as 2000.

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