Shadow Minister for Trade and Tourism, Kevin Hogan, has called on the Trade and Agricultural Ministers to make direct contact with their Indonesian counterparts as a matter of urgency about delays in the issue of Indonesian Import permits to Australian producers for the 2024 calendar year.
Mr Hogan said this is a crucial time for live cattle exporters as we approach the Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr period – the highest period of beef demand and consumption in Indonesia throughout the year.
“Australia is Indonesia’s biggest supplier of live cattle, a market worth about $400 million a year to the Australian economy. It is unprecedented that 44 days into 2024, permits to export to Indonesia are yet to be released.”
“Our exporters are currently absorbing significant costs for contracted ships anchored at sea, and maintaining cattle on feed as they wait in export yards for over a month. These delays are also affecting goods including fruit and vegetables as well as boxed beef and live cattle.”
“Australian producers have no timeline on when the permits will be released and are blindly making commercial decisions costing them thousands of dollars every day.”
Mr Hogan said it is imperative for our industry that the Trade and Agriculture Ministers make direct contact with their Indonesian counterparts to ascertain when the Indonesian import permits will be released.
