Learning from the FMD Outbreak, Head of Barantin: Biosecurity Cannot Be Negotiated

Head of the Indonesian Quarantine Agency (Barantin) Abdul Kadir Karding (DOK VOI)

Badung - The outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) that hit Indonesia in 2022 is a reminder of the high cost that the country must bear when the animal health protection system is breached. The government even had to allocate a budget of around Rp. 38.6 trillion for the recovery of the impact of the outbreak.

Head of the Indonesian Quarantine Agency (Barantin) Abdul Kadir Karding said that the experience was the reason why biosecurity strengthening could not be negotiated. According to him, prevention must be a priority so that Indonesia is free from the threat of pests and diseases that can disrupt food security and trade.

"The FMD outbreak is an important lesson for us. The cost to be spent for recovery reaches around IDR 38.6 trillion. Therefore, biosecurity cannot be negotiated," said Karding in the Bali Exporter Sarasehan in Badung, Friday, July 17.

He explained that the Indonesian Quarantine Agency has a mandate under Law Number 21 of 2019 as the quarantine organizer to maintain national biosafety. This task includes preventing the entry, exit, and spread of pests and diseases in animals, fish, and plants that have the potential to threaten Indonesia's biological resources.

According to Karding, the role of quarantine is no longer limited to conducting inspections at the country's entry points. Quarantine institutions are also required to be an early detection system for various biological threats that can have an impact on the agricultural, livestock, and fisheries sectors, as well as national economic stability.

He gave an example, the spread of FMD in 2022 caused a wide impact on the livestock sector. In addition to requiring a large recovery cost, the outbreak also resulted in a decrease in livestock populations in a number of areas, thus affecting the productivity of farmers.

"If the disease has entered, the impact is extraordinary. Not only livestock are lost, but also the recovery costs that the country must bear are very large. Therefore, prevention is much more important than treating," he said.

Karding said that threats to biosafety are becoming more complex as human mobility and international trade increase. The risks faced are not only animal diseases, but also plant pest organisms, fish diseases, and other biological threats that can disrupt national food security.

According to him, strengthening biosecurity is also one of the important conditions for increasing the competitiveness of Indonesian products in the global market. Export destination countries are now increasingly tightening health requirements for commodities entering their territory.

"If our biosafety system is strong, the confidence of the export destination country will also increase. This is not only about protecting biological resources, but also maintaining the reputation of Indonesian products in the international market," said Karding.

For this reason, Barantin continues to strengthen supervision at the country's entry points through human resource capacity building, strengthening the early detection system, and utilizing digital technology so that supervision runs more effectively.

At the same time, Barantin also continues to simplify the service process for business actors so that strengthening supervision does not hinder trade flows. Service digitization and integration with various ministries and agencies continues so that the quarantine certification process becomes faster, without reducing biosecurity standards.

Karding emphasized that protection of biodiversity and increasing export competitiveness must go hand in hand. According to him, a strong quarantine system not only protects Indonesia's biodiversity, but also serves as a foundation for the realization of safe, healthy, and sustainable trade.