Denpasar (Antara Bali) - Trade Minister Marie Elka Pangestu said that the recent earthquake and tsunami which hit Japan were expected to disturb the importation of a number of commodities, yet it would not affect Indonesia's export market in Japan.
"The importation of several commodities from Japan would not happen because a number of ports in that country were damaged by the devastating natural disaster," the minister said here on Saturday.
Besides, a number of factories which were producing the import commodities were also damaged so that scarcities of commodities they were producing would also take place, according to the minister.
The import commodities which are expected to reduce in the number included electronic components and vehicle spare parts.
"The shortage of stocks of the commodities would disturb vehicle industry after May 2011. This estimate was based on a report by the Indonesian Motor-vehicle Producers Association (Gaikindo)," she said.
The minister said that she had no idea yet how to overcome the shortage in the stocks of those commodities. At present, based on the report from Gaikindo, stocks of spare parts could only meet the need until the end of April 2011.
Earlier, Director General for Processing and Marketing of Fishery Products (P2HP), Victor PH Nikijuluw, said that fish import commodities from Japan were safe from radiation as a result of the leakage of a nuclear reactor in Fukushima, Japan.
"We are convinced that fish imported from Japan is free from radiation, because before it is imported to Indonesia, all commodities must obtain radiation-free labels from the Japanese authorities," he said.
He said that the volume of fish imports from Japan was not too large, where fish imported consisted only of several species which especially originated from Japan.
The fish is usually needed by restaurant businesses which sell special Japanese foods. The food is usually liked by certain circles in the country and expatriates from Japan itself, he said.(*)
Editor : Masuki
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