Japan rejects shrimp exported from S Sulawesi

Makassar, S Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - Japan rejected 15 tons of shrimp exported from South Sulawesi for being contaminated with antibiotic substances exceeding the 5 percent limit set by the European Union authority, a spokesman said.

Adriadi, chairman of the Indonesian Cold Storage Association (APCI) for South Sulawesi, said here Tuesday the rejection may disrupt the business operations.

Japan has been the biggest importer of Indonesian shrimps.

Of Indonesia`s total shrimp exports of 7,000 tons per year, 4,000 tons went to Japan, and the remaining 3,000 tons to the EU.

To solve the problem, Adriadi had asked the government and related institutions to improve capacity of the Makassar-based laboratory in detecting and controlling antibiotic contamination of the export commodity.

He suspected that the shrimp had been contaminated with certain chemicals used by the breeders to protect their commodities against disease.