Indonesia Lifts Ban on Indian Peanut Imports

09-Jan-2026 04:03 PM

Mumbai: Although the Indonesian government has lifted the temporary ban on imports of Indian peanuts, Indian exporters do not appear very keen to ship their produce there. They say that exporting peanuts to Indonesia could prove quite risky.

A Gujarat-based exporter said that the Indonesian government had started issuing permits to its traders for importing Indian peanuts since December 2025, but the procedures and conditions it has stipulated for imports are very strict and difficult to comply with. The Indonesian government has also reduced the number of recognized Indian exporters to 75.

It is noteworthy that Indonesia had suspended peanut imports from September 2, 2025. It claimed that exporters were not adhering to quality standards and that the peanuts being imported had high levels of aflatoxin. Indian exporters did not agree with this accusation.

They argued that if aflatoxin levels in a consignment of peanuts were found to be above the accepted limit, why was there an unnecessary delay in notifying them?

They also stated that there were several flaws in Indonesia's operational procedures regarding peanut imports from India, and these needed to be addressed.

In fact, when the ban was announced, nothing was said immediately about the quality of the peanuts exported from India.

However, three months after the shipment, the quarantine authorities complained about the presence of aflatoxin.

No one knew where and how the peanuts were stored for those three months, and whether the warehouses where the peanuts were stocked had the necessary facilities.