What is the volume and value of imported garlic?

Increased local production has led to a decrease in garlic imports. Data from the Ministry of Agriculture shows that garlic imports in 2016 fell by 7.95 percent to 444,300 tons from 482,665 tons the previous year. Meanwhile, the value of imports in 2016 actually increased by 25.5 percent to US$ 436 million, or the equivalent of 5.8 trillion, from the previous year. The increase in the price of garlic in China due to bad weather was a contributing factor to the increased value of imports of this commodity.

High domestic demand for garlic means the government is still allowing garlic imports. In 2016, garlic imports from China reached 441,000 tons with a value of US$ 433.8 million. Meanwhile, imports from India amounted to 3,000 tons with a value of US$ 2.97 million. Due to high domestic demand that cannot yet be met by local production, garlic prices sometimes fluctuate, such as during the months of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr.

To improve the supervision of garlic imports, the government issued Minister of Trade Regulation (Permendag) Number 30/2017 concerning the Provisions for Importing Horticultural Products. This regulation states that only companies with an Importer Identification Number (API) can import. Garlic imports are only carried out to stabilize supply so that prices do not fluctuate.