INSIDER HEADLINE : Indonesia Trade Ministry Issues Garlic Import Permit -Kontan
March 14 (The Insider Stories) — Indonesia’s Ministry of Trade has issued permission to import up to 134,600 metric tons of garlic, Kontan newsportal reported late Wednesday, after the price of the food product gained up to sevenfold in some areas of Indonesia in recent weeks.
Kontan quoted Bachrul Chairi, a director general at the ministry, as saying that he expects supply to increase in the next 10-14 days. The volume of the import permit represents 84% of an estimated 160,000 imports required in the January-June period.
Torrential rain in many parts of Indonesia have destroyed some crops, including garlic. Local media reported that garlic prices reached 100,000 rupiah ($10.3) a kilogram in Situbondo in East Java province, a historical high that compares to just IDR15,000 a kilogram earlier in the year.
