Dili, May 9, 2025 (Média Democracia) – The Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry (MAPPF) held a bilateral meeting with the Ambassador of the United States of America (USA), along with development agency representatives who are collaborating with the State of Timor-Leste. The meeting took place in the traditional house hall in Comoro.
Principal Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry, Agusto da Silva, stated that the bilateral meeting aimed to discuss the import and export relationship between Timor-Leste and the United States.
“We talked about import and export matters, and also discussed development opportunities to support and advance the sectors of agriculture, livestock, fisheries, and forestry. In the discussion, we also looked into imported chicken meat from the United States into Timor-Leste,” said Principal Advisor Agusto da Silva.
The Forestry Principal Advisor further explained that as a nation engaged in importing and exporting goods with Timor-Leste, procedures must comply with the legal requirements in place. Therefore, domestic import and export companies, including those from the U.S. wishing to bring their products into Timor-Leste, must fulfill import and export regulatory requirements.
“The U.S. previously sent technical experts to carry out a ‘system audit,’ which means that any plant established in the U.S. that complies with American standards will be assessed by our team in the U.S. If the facility meets the standards, then their products can be exported to Timor-Leste, provided they comply with the legal regulations,” said the Principal Advisor.
He affirmed that if the U.S. wishes to export products to Timor-Leste, it must work with its local partners who must request quarantine approval before any products can be imported. Without such partnerships and quarantine clearance or license, products cannot enter Timor-Leste.
“When we facilitate imports and exports, according to the law, our regulators must also ensure that the country does not receive any diseases from imported products. This is clearly outlined in the law and must be followed,” he added.
He further explained that before importing, Timorese technical teams conduct audits to evaluate companies that wish to export to Timor-Leste. Last year, the U.S. exported over 9,000 tons of chicken meat to Timor-Leste, and this year another 2,000 tons were exported.
Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador Christopher Morehouse stated that the bilateral meeting with the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry of Timor-Leste focused on how products should meet legal and regulatory requirements to allow imports and exports between the two nations to proceed with mutual benefit in the future.
“Today, we held a very important bilateral meeting to discuss how products must meet requirements and legal regulations so that imports and exports between the two countries can proceed advantageously,” said Ambassador Morehouse.
The Ambassador further noted that the U.S. currently imports chicken meat from Timor-Leste and, following this bilateral meeting, there are plans to import additional products from Timor-Leste in the future.
In conclusion, MAPPF and its team conducted the bilateral meeting with the United States to discuss the necessity of following proper legal procedures for imports and exports between the two countries, to avoid misunderstandings and build stronger cooperation in the future.
Report: Nelfiano
Photo: Nelfiano