November 14, 2025 | 11:29 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs has addressed the impact of Cesium-137 (Cs-137) contamination on bilateral trade between Indonesia and the United States. According to Edi Prio Pambudi, Deputy for Economic and Investment Coordination at the Ministry, the Indonesian government has emphasized to the U.S. that the contamination case cannot be used as a basis for banning imports of all Indonesian products.
Edi stated that the U.S. government has made a reciprocal request, asking Indonesia not to halt all imports from the U.S. should any of its products be contaminated.
"Currently, we are concerned that some of our goods are contaminated, but the United States has not yet raised concerns that all products from Indonesia will be contaminated with Cesium-137," Edi told reporters at the Coordinating Ministry office in Jakarta on Friday, November 14, 2025.
Previously, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) identified radioactive contamination of Cs-137 in shrimp and cloves exported from Indonesia. More recently, the US returned two containers of footwear products, also suspected of being contaminated with radioactive Cs-137. The radioactive source was traced back to scrap metal found in the Cikande industrial area of Banten.
This contamination discovery coincides with Indonesia's ongoing reciprocal tariff negotiation process with the U.S. Edi affirmed that the government remains committed to improving all regulations that hinder trade.
"Because what has been questioned so far is the high number of permits that subsequently create uncertainty and increase the cost of their trade, which is the cause for complaint," he said.
In a related development, Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita stated that the Cs-137 radiation exposure in the Modern Cikande Industrial Estate (MCIE) area in Serang, Banten, has been declared clean. Agus confirmed receipt of a letter from the Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (Bapeten) stating that the Cs-137 exposure in the industrial area is no longer an issue.
"The radioactive issue is already clear, and we have also received a letter from Bapeten stating that it is no longer an issue," Agus said in Jakarta on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, as quoted by Antara.
As a follow-up, the Ministry of Industry has issued instructions through the National Industrial Information System (SIINas) to all industrial sectors, especially those in metal, food, and beverage, requiring them to submit regular reports every three months. These reports must include the results of monitoring radioactive levels in each company's production processes.
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