Jakarta. Indonesia and France are currently in talks for a mutual recognition agreement on fishery quality assurance. If signed, this agreement will boost Indonesian fishery export market access to France. 

The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries represented Indonesia in the talks with the French authorities earlier this month. The French Embassy in Jakarta joined the talks on behalf of their country’s agricultural ministry. 

The Indonesian Marine and Fisheries Quality Assurance Agency (MFQAA) said that this agreement would boost trade as it would regulate the mechanisms regarding the export or import-related permits and approval numbers. Indonesia recently separated the fishery quarantine body from the quality assurance agency.

“We need to convince our export destination that these organizational changes do not affect the quality of Indonesian fishery products,” Ishartini, the Director General of MFQAA, was quoted as saying in a recent press statement.

According to Ishartini, agricultural and fishery exports now pay more attention to food safety standards. However, Ishartini said these standards should not hamper trade. She added: “Such standards should facilitate trade.”

In response, countries are currently syncing their food quality assurance system. The government said many countries have recognized Indonesia’s quality assurance system as its fishery products have entered over 100 countries. During the talks with the French government, France said Indonesia’s quality assurance system was equivalent to those of advanced economies as the products could penetrate the European Union market.

Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono has vowed to maintain Indonesian fishery products’ quality to boost its acceptance in the global market, particularly for economically important commodities.