Thailand to launch measures against Indonesia’s fruit ban
Thailand is mulling retaliatory measures against Indonesia after the Southeast Asian neighbour banned imports of some Thai fresh agricultural products like longan and durian.
Dried longan is prepared for sale at Sanpatong Cooperatives in Chiang Mai. Indonesia has banned imports of Thai longan and durian during harvest seasons.(Source: bangkokpost.com)Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand is mulling retaliatory measures against Indonesia after the Southeast Asian neighbour banned imports of some Thai fresh agricultural products like longan and durian.
Indonesia’s ban on imports of horticultural crops, especially fruits, was made during Thailand’s annual harvest season, which could lead to overproduction due to lack of consumption market.
Thai Commerce Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong told reporters that they are studying the impact and proper retaliatory measures against Indonesia.
Imposing such trade barriers during the harvest season are considered unfair, especially on products with short post-harvest preservation time like fresh fruits, Sontirat stressed.
Director-General of the Trade Negotiations Department of Thailand Auramon Supthaweethum said the department is consulting related agencies on proper measures against the fruit ban. However, she insisted that the measures scheduled to be disclosed this month will do nothing to contravene established international trade agreements.
Last year, Thailand exported 97,000 tonnes of longan to Indonesia worth 83.7 million USD, with shipments of durian amounting to 760 tonnes worth 1.2 million USD.
In 2016, the Indonesian Government only allowed imports of Thai durian in only one month of the year’s first half, with unlimited amount of the fruit.
Over the last five year, two-way trade between Thailand and Indonesia averaged 16.2 billion USD per year.
In 2017, overall bilateral trade totalled 16.2 billion USD, up 11.5 percent from 2016.
For the first four months of 2018, two-way trade rose 14.7 percent from the same period last year to 6 billion USD.-VNA
You should also see
Vietnam attends international security meeting in Russia
A Vietnamese delegation led by Minister of Public Security General To Lam is attending the 12th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues in Russia’s St. Petersburg city from April 23-25.
See more
World
Laos speeds up granting licences to foreign workers
Laos's Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare plans to issue visas to illegal foreign workers and extend permits to legal ones so that they can continue to work in the country.
World
Argentinian scholar praises Vietnam’s April 30, 1975 victory
The complete reunification of Vietnam on April 30, 1975 was an extremely significant event in the history of the country and the world, opined a scholar from the Institute for International Relations at the National University of La Plata, Argentina.
World
Malaysia tackles food security challenges
Empowering local communities in the agriculture sector to attract young people to this field is one of the measures taken by Malaysia to address labour shortage while also contributing to tackling challenges in food security.
World
Danger warning issued for Thailand’s Bangkok as extreme heat bites
Thai authorities on April 24 issued an extreme heat warning for Bangkok, urging people to stay indoors for their safety as temperatures soared.
World
Schools in Philippines go online amid extreme heat
Record heat in the Philippines in April has forced schools to send children home for online classes.
