US apple shipments to Indonesia have reportedly ground to a halt following that country’s implementation of new import regulations that require imported produce is inspected and labelled.
Northwest Horticulture Council vice president Mark Powers told the Seattle Times US apple, pear and cherry exports to the South East Asian nation have all but ceased owing to confusion over import regulations.
“Based on conversations I am having with shippers, I think that shipments have completely stopped,” said Powers. “There is a great deal of confusion.”
Indonesian officials announced last week they would bar shipments that departed the US after 28 October from entering the country unless they complied with the new regulations.The Seattle Times reported, however, that even shipments arriving in Indonesia before this date had been held up at ports.
Some shippers were now scrambling to redirect vessels heading to Indonesia to other markets, the newspaper reported.
Indonesia is the US’s fifth-largest export market for apples after Mexico, Canada, India and China.
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