Indonesia will resume issuing import permits to Dutch companies. These will be for exporting onions to that Asian country. This is what Sigrid Kaag, the Dutch Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation and other top ministers were told. This decision was announced at talks these Dutch officials had with Indonesian authorities. These discussions were held during a recent trade mission.
Last year, onion exports from the Netherlands to Indonesia declined significantly. That, after that Asian country, decided, for the time being, not to grant import licenses for this product. This ruling was a result of a European Union decision regarding palm oil. That decision was taken in March 2018.
Kaag welcomes Indonesia's new stance. "The Netherlands wants to be a constructive partner for Indonesia. Dutch businesses were dismayed by the previous measure. It contributed to exporter uncertainty. It hurt us. All the while, we want to support Indonesia to make the palm oil trade more sustainable. This is good news for the exporters as well as the relationship between the Netherlands and Indonesia. It is good that we can now export onions and dairy products to that country," says the Minister.
Onion exports to Indonesia dropped dramatically last year. In 2018, this was still worth a total of more than €15 million. Last year, this decreased by more than two-thirds.
The trade mission was held in tandem with a state visit to Indonesia.
Source: Dutch Government