MORE than 400 containers of citrus have been held up on docks in Jakarta, in Indonesia, the Federal Government has confirmed.
Indonesian Customs has held up fresh produce for more than a fortnight because of new import permit requirements which came into effect on October 28.
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry last week confirmed the containers were held up at Tanjung Priok, Jakarta and the port of Surabaya.
A DAFF spokesman said the containers were sourced from a number of countries, with a relatively small number from Australia.
"The Australian Government understands that import permits are currently being processed and will be issued for all containers to enter the Indonesian market," the spokesman said.
"New regulations for the importation of horticultural products into Indonesia were implemented from October 28 as amended by Minister of Trade and Minister of Agriculture, which, among other things, establish new procedures for the issuance of import permits.
"The Australian Government is discussing the new regulations and their implementation with the Indonesian Government, seeking to ensure the mutually beneficial trade in horticultural products is maintained."
This comes amid an Australian citrus glut that has left growers having to dump citrus due to lack of local demand.
DAFF said Australian Embassy officials in Jakarta were working with Indonesian Government agencies as a matter of priority to resolve the issue.
A spokeswoman for Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig said the containers had not been rejected and payment and port charges would not be passed on to growers.
"This delay is due to the implementation of a new import permit system and has not previously occurred," the spokeswoman said. "The produce is in cold storage and not currently affected by the delay. The Government is liaising with the Indonesian Government to facilitate a speedy resolution to the issue. We understand that import permits are currently being processed."
About $10 million worth of frozen Australian beef has been held up at the Tanjung port in Jakarta for more than three months because it exceeds the import quota.
