Hanan A. Rozak Urges Quarantine Agency to Use Technology to Speed Up Baggage Checks

PARLEMENTARIA, Banjarbaru — Deputy Chair of Commission IV of the House of Representatives Hanan A. Rozak urged the Indonesian Quarantine Agency (Barantin) to use technological advances to speed up inspections of baggage carried by passengers arriving from abroad at airports. He said inspections, which still rely heavily on manual methods and visual checks, need to be improved to make them more effective.

“I think quarantine services need to keep up with technological advances to speed up inspections. So, while inspections may have been done manually or visually until now, going forward we certainly need to keep pace,” Hanan told Parlementaria after witnessing the destruction of passengers’ baggage during a working visit by Commission IV of the House of Representatives to the Animal, Fish, and Plant Quarantine Service Unit at Syamsudin Noor Airport in Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan, on Friday (13/11/2026).

Hanan said technology could help officers more quickly identify baggage that may violate quarantine regulations. He stressed that fruit, agricultural and fishery products, and livestock products brought in from abroad without the required quarantine documents must be dealt with, including through destruction.

Head of the South Kalimantan Animal, Fish, and Plant Quarantine Center (BKHIT), Erwin A.M. Dabukke, explained that the items destroyed had been carried by passengers on AirAsia flights from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, between October and November 2026. Most were fruit, weighing a total of 97.05 kilograms, according to data from BKHIT South Kalimantan.

Also destroyed were leftover samples of palm kernel cake, or palm oil residue, that had been tested in a laboratory before export. All the items were burned in the presence of airport Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine officers.

Alongside upgrading inspection technology, Hanan said public outreach on quarantine regulations also needed to be expanded. He noted that many passengers still do not realize that bringing fruit, food, or animals from abroad requires quarantine documents to ensure the commodities are free from pests and diseases.

The Golkar Party faction politician proposed including information on quarantine regulations in guidance sessions for prospective Hajj pilgrims. This would help pilgrims understand which items they may and may not bring back into Indonesia after completing the Hajj.

If left unaddressed, Hanan said, noncompliance with these requirements could lengthen inspection procedures and passengers’ waiting times at airports. (arl/um)