Indonesia import Washington apples

Members of Indonesia’s trade and agriculture ministries will meet with Thai counterparts to discuss the suspension of certain fruit and vegetable imports, according to the Jakarta Post.

At the end of last month, 13 kinds of fruit and vegetable products, including potatoes, chillies, and durians, were banned from entering Indonesia until the end of June.

The move has sparked protests from Thai exporters, who claim to be suffering significant losses through the suspensions.

“We will discuss this issue soon with both the Agriculture Ministry and the Thai authorities,” Indonesian trade minister Gita Wirjawan said.

Wirjawan hinted Indonesia might drop the restrictions, should imports meet health and safety requirements.

The suspensions were introduced to protect Indonesian growers, who harvest the products on the list during the first half of the year.

Last month the US government requested consultations with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to address issues arising from Indonesia’s import regulations.

US trade representative Ron Kirk described the restrictions as “opaque and complex.”