Importing From India to Indonesia

The best-known Indian product in Indonesia isn't a T-shirt or a spice. It's frozen buffalo meat. The government let it in from late 2016 to pull down beef prices, with the state logistics agency Bulog doing the importing, and within a few months an Australian trade paper was asking why the price in the wet markets hadn't moved. The answer from market watchers was blunt - the cheap meat "is not being passed on by the vast number of market middlemen" (Beef Central, April 2017 (opens in a new tab)).

We start there because it shows how Indonesia buys from India. A good share of the trade is industrial or state-managed, and a trade agreement doesn't decide who's allowed to bring the goods in. This page covers what's specific to Indonesia. The shared AITIGA rules, the origin test and the review are on the ASEAN bloc page, so we won't repeat them. The caveat - we couldn't read Indonesia's import VAT and income-tax rules for commercial cargo on an official page, so they stay open below.

Last researched 28 September 2026 · Next review 24 November 2026 · Written by SourcingFrom

The decision in brief is in the playbook: Exporting and trade → /india/#trade. The shared rules are on the ASEAN bloc page.

1. AITIGA Is the Only Route

Indonesia has no bilateral goods agreement with India, so Indian goods get a preference only through AITIGA, and Indonesia's schedule is posted with the others on India's commerce site (commerce.gov.in, India-ASEAN agreements (opens in a new tab)). Jakarta hosted the 12th review meeting on 30 March 2026 (Viet Nam Ministry of Industry and Trade (opens in a new tab), Reported).

Indonesia is also one of the members that has objected on origin (ORF, February 2024 (opens in a new tab)). Its complaint is about India's CAROTAR checks on goods going into India, not the other way, but it tells you the proof rules are the part most likely to change. So don't build a price list on a preference until your broker has confirmed the current form.

2. What Indonesia Actually Buys From India

The trade is shrinking and it's industrial. Indonesia's recorded imports from India fell from US$9,330.1 million in 2022 to US$4,830.6 million in 2025, and India's share of Indonesia's imports went from 2.51% in 2019 to 2.00% (our analysis of UN Comtrade, queried 23 September 2026). Machinery is 13.7% of the India total, vehicles and parts 11.2% and organic chemicals 8.6%. Meat is fourth, and in that chapter India is Indonesia's second supplier with 32.8%.

If you import consumer goods from India, that's worth knowing. Your supplier probably doesn't ship to Jakarta every week, so expect it to be less sure of the certificate than a supplier used to Dubai or Colombo, and budget time for the first one.

3. Some Lines Need a Permit Before They Need a Price

Back to the buffalo meat. After Bulog, the import role for Indian buffalo meat passed in 2024 to two state firms, PT Berdikari and PT Perusahaan Perdagangan Indonesia, which by an Australian trade report's reading didn't use their permits fully (Beef Central, December 2024 (opens in a new tab), Reported). A private buyer can't just order a container of it. Quota and permit decisions sit with the government.

We haven't mapped which other lines work this way, so we won't guess. What we'd do is simple. Before you ask an Indian supplier for a quote on anything food, agricultural or regulated, ask your Indonesian broker whether your line needs an import approval and who's allowed to hold it. Customs is the Directorate General of Customs and Excise (Bea Cukai) (opens in a new tab), and Tanjung Priok is the main port.

4. Back to the Middlemen

The 2017 lesson still holds. A cheap Indian product didn't change Indonesian shelf prices because the margin went to the people between the port and the market. If you're the importer, you're one of those people, and the agreement, the permit and the certificate are what decide whether your landed cost beats the local one. If you need someone to get the certificate issued right and the shipment booked, SourcingSync (opens in a new tab) does that.

Next Step

Every Indian agreement is on India's trade agreements.