Indonesia and Australia agree to strengthen cooperation on fisheries product safety

Indonesia’s Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) and the Australian Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) held a bilateral meeting in Jakarta on July 31 to discuss strategic cooperation in the maritime and fisheries sector. The meeting resulted in a joint statement to strengthen cooperation on the quality assurance and safety of fishery products from both countries.

The head of Indonesia's marine and fisheries product quality control and supervision agency, Ishartini, stated that the goal is to maintain quality and safety so that more Indonesian products can enter the Australian market. Currently, more than 2,000 types of Indonesian fishery products are shipped to Australia, a number that is projected to grow. The KKP has enabled 184 Indonesian fish processing units to enter the Australian market.

The joint statement reaffirms the understanding between the two parties to strengthen bilateral relations and mutually recognise each other as, “the competent authorities in their respective countries.”

As part of the initiative, the KKP has proposed several new cooperation programmes. These include joint pre-border inspections, market control and surveillance for fishery products, food safety enforcement, and capacity building for microbiological testing of fish-based foods.