Agriculture Products Such As Onions And Egg Prohibited From Entering The Indonesian-Malaysian State Boundary Post, This Is The Regulation

The National Border Post (PLBN) in Entikong, Sanggau, West Kalimantan. (Between-Agus Elfian)

JAKARTA - Cross-Border Posts (PLBN) often confiscate goods of Indonesian citizens (WNI) and Malaysian citizens in order to enforce quarantine rules.

As a result, agricultural quarantine officers at the border were accused of confiscation several times when they confiscated a hand belonging to a state border crosser.

Indeed, what is the condition at PLBN regarding the confiscation?

Confiscation of boundary crossing luggage from Malaysia to Indonesia, and vice versa, occurs almost every day. Especially at the Aruk Integrated PLBN, Sajingan Besar District, Sambas Regency, West Kalimantan (West Kalimantan).

The cross-border post borders the Biawak Immigration Post, Lundu, Sarawak, Malaysia.

Confiscation activities at PLBN Aruk often cause annoyance among border crossers. They accuse quarantine officers of trapping or seizing their belongings.

Such incidents are often experienced by officers from the Animal, Fish, and Plant Quarantine Agency at PLBN Aruk.

Crossers do not believe there is a rule prohibiting the entry of goods from outside Indonesia. Although there are not many innate travelers, for example, types of plants or tubers, such as garlic, shallots, potatoes, and ginger.

This is because border crossers carry agricultural products without being accompanied by quarantine requirements, such as health certificate documents from Malaysia. If the document in question cannot be fulfilled, automatically the item cannot enter Indonesia.

"In addition, it must be accompanied by a plant health certificate, namely the Phytosenitary Certificate. The document is issued by the sender in this case from Malaysia," said Plant Quarantine Analyst Rachmad, at the Entikong Class I Agricultural Quarantine Office for the working area of PLBN Aruk, quoted from Antara, Thursday, October 20.

He added, tubers, such as onions or ginger, also cannot enter through the Aruk PLBN. This is because agricultural products can only enter through places that have been determined by the government.

The government has indeed determined special places that can be entered by tubers from outside the region or country.

The place is located in Tanjung Perak Sea Port, Surabaya; Belawan Sea Port, Medan; Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Jakarta; and Soekarno-Hatta Sea Port, Makassar.

Animal Products Crossing State Boundary Posts

In PLBN Aruk, there were also confiscations of animal products, both fresh and processed in cans. This prohibition is said to anticipate the entry of the African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak and mouth and nail disease (PMK).

The ban also includes confiscation of chicken eggs, which can reach hundreds of eggs. There is no explanation regarding the reason why.

Rules

Law No. 21 of 2019 concerning Animal, Fish, and Plant Quarantine explains the responsibility and authority of quarantine officials.

According to the law, quarantine is a system of prevention of entry, exit, and spread of quarantine animal pests and diseases, pests and quarantine fish diseases, and quarantine plant disruption organisms, as well as supervision and/or control of food safety and food quality, safety of feed and feed quality, genetic engineering products, genetic resources, biological agencies, foreign invasive types, wild plants and animals, as well as rare plants and animals incorporated in, spread from area to area. others, and/or expelled from Indonesian territory.

Quarantine measures include that everyone who enters the carrier media into the territory of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia must fulfill several things.

First, completing health certificates from the country of origin for animals, animal products, fish, fish products, plants, and/or plant products. Second, including the carrier medium through the income area set by the central government. Third, reporting and handing over the carrier medium to quarantine officials at the income site set by the central government, for the purposes of quarantine and supervision and/or control measures.