Jakarta. Indonesia has suspended 19 of its 57 registered edible bird’s nest exporters to China after audits found they failed to meet the destination country's standards, including excessive aluminum levels in some products.

The suspension does not halt Indonesia’s overall bird’s nest exports to China, according to Indonesian Quarantine Agency head Abdul Kadir Karding. The government is instead moving to sanction problematic exporters before Chinese authorities take action.

“There is overall suspension of exports. Trade is still continuing. Of the 57 companies, only 19 have been suspended,” Karding said at the Soekarno-Hatta Quarantine Office on Friday.

China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC) had audited Indonesian bird’s nest exporters, with the results serving as the basis for evaluating companies that failed to comply with export requirements.

“Companies that violate the rules have to be suspended. We should suspend them first rather than wait for China to do so,” Karding said.

He said companies that ignore warnings and refuse to improve could face tougher penalties, including closure.

“They have been warned and told what they need to change. If they refuse to comply and continue to insist on violating the rules, we will shut them down if necessary,” he said.

One of the violations identified was excessive aluminum content. Chinese authorities require aluminum levels in edible bird’s nests to remain below 200 parts per million, but some products inspected contained levels of around 1,000 ppm, Karding said.

Some producers were suspected of using certain materials or treatments to make the nests appear whiter, cleaner, and clearer, although any processing method must comply with food safety requirements and the importing country’s standards.

The government will also propose additional companies that have met GACC requirements to expand their export activities to China, he added.

The suspension came as the Indonesian Quarantine Agency on Friday shipped mangosteen, crabs, and edible bird’s nests from Banten to China under its Merdeka Ekspor program, with the total exports valued at Rp 40.8 billion ($2.4 million).

Karding said China remained a major market for Indonesian tropical products and urged exporters to move beyond raw commodities into processed goods to capture greater value.

“If processed products can be exported, they will generate greater added value and create more jobs,” he said.

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