Indonesia to upgrade fruit quality for exporting: minister

Indonesia will increase fruit quality as an effort to penetrate Australian market as the country adopts strict standard for imported commodity, a minister said in Bogor, Indonesia on Sunday.

Agriculture Minister Suswono told reporters at Mekarsari, the largest fruit garden in Indonesia, that Indonesia exports some fruits to Asian countries, such as snake fruit to China and mangosteen to Japan.

"However, we have difficulties to export fruit to Australia as the country has a strict standard for imported fruit, so we have to increase our fruit quality," he said, adding that Indonesia will also increase its standard for imported fruit.

According to Ahmad Dimyati, the ministry's director general for horticulture, Indonesia's import on fruits is more than its export.

"Our data in 2008 showed that our import valued at 473 million U.S. dollars compared to export of 324 million dollars," he said.

He said that Indonesia adopts strategies to guarantee fruit supply for export and domestic need.

"We encourage planting of fruits that can be harvested every season and use technology to grow fruits trees that traditionally could only be harvested at certain seasons," he said.

Source: Xinhua