ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA – The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of the Republic of Indonesia is collaborating with the Canadian Embassy in Jakarta to follow up on the results of the Indonesia – Canada CEPA (ICA CEPA) negotiations which were completed in June 2024. This bilateral cooperation aims to strengthen trade facilitation and bring opportunities to expand the Indonesian fisheries market on the American Continent.
“ICA CEPA negotiations were finalized in June last year, and this is a momentum for the fisheries sector to be able to take advantage of its benefits, especially from the Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary (SPS) sector,” said Head of the Quality Agency of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Ishartini in an official broadcast in Jakarta, quoted on Saturday, February 22 2025.
To obtain various convenience facilities and expand market access, many countries carry out bilateral commodity trade negotiations covering various aspects, or what is usually called the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries as the lead fisheries sector has been active since 2022 taking part in the Indonesia – Canada CEPA (ICA CEPA) negotiations. At this bilateral event, the fisheries sector was involved in negotiations in the fields of Sanitary and Phytosanitary, Technical Barrier to Trade (TBT) and Trade and Sustainable Development-Environment.
Ishartini added that the field of SPS cooperation also includes issues of quality assurance and safety of marine and fisheries products.
“For fishery SPS issues, especially the quality and safety of fishery products, the Quality Agency of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries is the lead sector,” he stressed.
Meeting with the Canadian Embassy
The Canadian Embassy in Jakarta has also held a coordination meeting with the Quality Agency of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries to collaborate on the topic of quality assurance and safety of fishery products under the ICA CEPA scheme. Furthermore, they will facilitate and connect the Quality Agency of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries with partners or competent authorities in Canada to carry out coordination and prepare action plans that can be proposed as follow-up agenda items after the ICA CEPA is officially signed.
Several programs proposed by the Quality Agency of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries are joint action, capacity building, and institutional building in order to strengthen trade facilitation between Indonesia and Canada in the fisheries sector. Among the technical activities discussed by the two parties included the following themes: market control and post-border surveillance on food safety, virtual audit, public transparency on food safety, as well as various other similar technical activities.
“The Quality Agency of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries has a collaboration channel with the Canadian competent authority, namely CFIA, through a Mutual Recognition Arrangement, so that coordination with the Canadian Embassy this time can be immediately followed up with a virtual meeting between competent authorities within the next 3 months,” stressed Ishartini. (AT Network)
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