TEMPO.CO, Brebes - Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman stated that Indonesia has become an exporter of shallots after years of importing them. We had zero import of shallots in 2016.
"This year Indonesia is the one that exports shallots," Amran said in Brebes on Friday, August 18.
Such a statement was corrected by Indonesian Shallot Association (ABMI) head Juwari. He claimed that 2017 shallot export is not the first export. Juwari explained that shallots from Brebes were already exported in 2014.
Read: Drop in Prices of Shallots, Chilies is a Sad Thing, Minister Says
“In 2014 we already exported shallots. There is an increase in the amount from 3,000 tons to 5,600 tons sent to Thailand,” Juwari said. "What is important is we have changed from importer to exporter,” Amran continued.
Amran explained that shallot production is abundant at the moment. Brebes exporter company PT Bawang Merah Indonesia Sejahtera was appointed by the government as the official exporter of shallots. Amran released 12 containers from shallot storage located in Pantura route in Klampok, Brebes, to be sent to Thailand.
“It is Thailand for now, in the future, we also target Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and other countries,” Amran said.
MUHAMMAD IRSYAM FAIZ