RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Indonesian Quarantine Agency (Barantin) is pushing to strengthen market access for fruit exports, including Balinese snake fruit (salacca zalacca/salak), by finalizing a government‑to‑government (G2G) trade protocol with Vietnam to provide legal certainty for exporters.

Barantin Head Abdul Kadir Karding said that strong international demand for Indonesian tropical fruit must be matched by legal certainty to enable businesses to expand their markets sustainably.

“Exporters are requesting cooperation with Vietnam, especially regarding the protocol agreement, so that it can be realized immediately,” Karding said at the Bali Province Exporters’ Meeting in Badung Regency, Bali, on Friday, July 17, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

He noted that Indonesia and Vietnam currently lack a G2G protocol for salak exports. To address this, Barantin will form a special team to expedite drafting an agreement that will serve as the basis for fulfilling quarantine requirements in both countries.

Karding expressed optimism that Bali’s agricultural exports will continue to grow. In 2026 alone, the export value of fruit, fish, and plant commodities from the province reached IDR 6.9 trillion.

“The potential is actually quite good. It’s just a matter of how we prepare these commodities for acceptance in export destination countries,” he said.

Head of the Young Farmers Association, Anak Agung Gede Agung Wedhatama, said demand for Balinese salak from Vietnam has risen since the market opened in 2022.

Exporters currently ship 2–5 tons of salak per day from Karangasem and Tabanan to Vietnam by air. However, shipments remain uncertain due to the absence of international quarantine protocols and are only made to order.

“It’s illegal, and that’s why our exporters are worried. We want Barantin to help farmers increase exports, which requires compliance with quarantine procedures. To that end, we’re pushing for the Indonesia‑Vietnam G2G protocol to ensure safe and secure shipping of salak,” Wedhatama said.

He added that the situation presents a dilemma: while thousands of salak farmers benefit from selling their harvests at up to IDR 20,000 per kilogram, the lack of legal certainty in trade remains a pressing issue.

Bali’s tropical fruit is also entering Chinese markets, following quarantine procedures set by China’s General Administration of Customs, which regulates export requirements for Indonesian horticultural commodities. ***