Indonesia’s Evita Manunggal received approval from the Ministry of Trade to import 9000 tonnes of frozen beef to support the government’s target of bringing the price of beef down to USD 6/kg. However, Evita is in a bind as it has not got a recommendation from the Ministry of Agriculture. Thomas Sembiring, Chairman of the Indonesian Meat Importers Association (Aspidi) said Evita is a new player and not an Aspidi member. “The appointment raised questions as a criteria is that the importer should have its own cold storage facility and reefer trucks,” he said.
