International flights at Minangkabau International Airport (BIM) were officially re-opened on October 1, 2022. The opening of this international flight is considered to be a big hope for exports in West Sumatra, because so far West Sumatra's exports have turned into domestic shipping commodities. Head of the Padang Agricultural Quarantine Center Iswan Haryanto said that since the closure of international flights at BIM, the impact on export traffic in West Sumatra has been felt. "The impact is felt due to the closure of international flights at BIM due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Now it has reopened, and this is a new hope and great hope for exports in West Sumatra," he said, Tuesday (4/10/2022). He explained that during the closing of international flights at BIM, West Sumatra exported agricultural and animal commodities by sea and chartered planes. "The mangosteen is exported to China, using chartered planes as long as international flights are closed," he said. Iswan sees that since 2020-2021 there has been a decline in exports. Because there are export commodities from West Sumatra that must transit to airports in Jakarta and Batam, and from there they will only be exported. "So for us, it is recorded as a domestic shipment, because the traffic is domestic, even though the destination will be overseas," he said. For this reason, with the reopening of international flights at BIM, it is hoped that West Sumatra's exports of agricultural and animal commodities will grow again in the remaining few months of 2022. "We still have three months left. Hopefully, the export shipments will be faster until the end of 2022," Iswan hoped.
Thursday, 06 October 2022 01:24
Great Hopes for West Sumatra's Exports to Grow as International Flights Have Been Opened
