The Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) continues to strive for Indonesian tuna products to compete on an equal footing with products from other Asian countries in the Japanese market, which is also the world’s largest tuna market.
One of the factors that hinders the competitiveness of Indonesian tuna products in Japan is the imposition of the Most Favored Nation (MFN) import duty.
Director General of Strengthening the Competitiveness of Fishery Products Artati Widiarti said, “In the Public Private Dialogue Track 1.5 Indonesia-Japan which took place recently in Jakarta, we conveyed again about the exemption of this import duty rate. We want Indonesian tuna products, especially canned tuna to be exempt from import duties, similar to tuna products from Thailand and the Philippines.”
Artati explained the benefits that will be obtained by Japan through the elimination of tariffs for tuna from Indonesia, namely expanding sources of tuna supply for importers from that country at competitive prices while supporting the eradication of IUU fishing and sustainable fisheries.
The exemption from import duties on Indonesian tuna has been discussed for some time on the Indonesia Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (IJEPA) since 2014. In 2018, Japan said it would open market access for Indonesian canned tuna on condition that it obtains a license for the operation of a fleet belonging to a Japanese investment joint venture.
After the implementation of the Omnibus Law and its implementing regulations, the conditions proposed by Japan are automatically met. For this reason, the KKP asked the Japanese authorities to open market access for Indonesian canned tuna products in the country.
“Therefore, at this meeting, KKP asked for support from METI (Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry) and Keidanren (The Japan Business Federation) to consider eliminating import duties to Japan for Indonesian canned tuna products by emphasising the benefits that will be obtained by Japanese investors,” he added.
