Open Soybean Import Reports, Minister Of Trade Zulhas: January 2023 Entering From South Africa

Illustration (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The government has imported soybean commodities in response to soybean scarcity and increased the price of tofu and tempeh in the market.

The Minister of Trade (Mendag), Zulkifli Hasan ensured that imported soybeans would enter Indonesia in January 2023.

Zulhas, as Zulkifli Hasan is familiarly called, explained that the imports of soybeans this time came from South Africa (South Africa).

All requirements have been met by the Indonesian government, just waiting for a quarantine permit from the importer.

"January 2023 is coming from South Africa. Kabulog said he was just waiting for a quarantine permit from there (Afsel), not from us. We have ordered. So quarantine is over, then soybeans," he said at the Ministry of Trade Office, Jakarta, Thursday, December 15.

Previously reported, the Minister of Trade (Mendag) Zulkifli Hasan reiterated that the prices of basic necessities (bapok) were generally stable and stocks were safe ahead of the commemoration of the religious holidays of Christmas and New Year.

The Trade Minister also ensures that basic necessities will continue to be available. If there is price fluctuation, he continued, the government will immediately act by providing subsidies, both for prices and for logistics costs.

"The government guarantees the availability of basic goods and if there is a price increase, it will be subsidized directly through the local government," he said in a press statement on Sunday, December 4. As for the processing of import permits for horticultural products, he asked business actors to meet the requirements according to the rules and prioritize imports of commodities that cannot be produced domestically. "Horticultural products that we can afford do not need to be imported. Prioritize local fruits and vegetables. Domestic fruit no longer needs to be imported," he said.

Then, Zulhas also stated that the government has assigned Bulog to import 300,000 tons of soybeans and will be sold at a price of around Rp. 11,000 per kilogram if the import price is Rp. 12,000 per kilogram. For your information, based on the defect of the National Food Agency (Bapanas) as of November 25, 2022, the stock of soybeans at the end of December reached 58,708 thousand tons. The stock's resilience is only for 7 days.