Indonesia Approves 21 More Brazilian Beef Plants as Private Import Quota Narrows
Indonesia has authorized 21 additional Brazilian plants to export beef, taking the approved total to 73 facilities. The expansion comes as private importers receive only 30,000 tonnes of Indonesia’s 297,000-tonne beef and buffalo meat quota.
Brazil expands its approved supplier base
Indonesia has approved 21 additional Brazilian slaughterhouses to export beef to its market, bringing the total to 73 authorized facilities operated by 26 companies across 13 Brazilian states. BeefPoint reported that the decision was communicated to Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and meat companies following an Indonesian inspection conducted in Brazil between June 27 and July 5.
The approvals cover seven JBS facilities, including two each in Pará, Mato Grosso and Rondônia and one in Goiás. Three Masterboi plants in Pernambuco, Tocantins and Pará and three Frigomarca sites in Mato Grosso, Goiás and Acre also received access. Indonesia additionally authorized two Naturafrig units, two Plena plants, two Frigosul facilities, a Golden Imex unit in Mato Grosso do Sul and a Frigorífico Silva plant in Rio Grande do Sul.
Shipments have accelerated since 2023
Indonesia initially opened its market to Brazilian beef processors in 2019, when ten plants were authorized. Another 11 received approval in 2023, followed by 17 in 2025. The latest additions bring the number of approvals granted in 2026 to 35, widening the group of Brazilian processors able to compete for Indonesian business.
The larger supplier list has coincided with rising trade. According to the Brazilian Beef Exporters Association, Abiec, Brazil shipped 43,200 tonnes of beef to Indonesia in 2025, generating revenue of $154.1 million. Between January and July 2026, shipments had already reached 43,700 tonnes, exceeding the volume recorded during all of 2025 and making Indonesia the eighth-largest market for Brazilian beef that year.
Indonesia imported 387,400 tonnes of beef in 2025 and remains dependent on foreign supplies to meet domestic demand. Brazil is its third-largest supplier, behind India and Australia, according to data from the Brazilian embassy in Jakarta. The market has further growth potential: annual beef consumption is 3.3 kilograms per person, compared with a global average of 9.5 kilograms.
State companies control most of the quota
The additional plant approvals do not mean that every Brazilian exporter can sell through the same procurement channels. Indonesia applies a 297,000-tonne import quota for beef and buffalo meat. In January, the government allocated 84% of that volume to two state-owned companies, PT Berdikari and PT Perusahaan Perdagangan Indonesia. Private importers received authorization for only 30,000 tonnes, divided among 108 companies, down from 180,000 tonnes in 2025.
That restriction has not disrupted Brazilian sales because only Indonesian state companies are currently permitted to import Brazilian beef, according to work by Brazil’s agricultural attaché in Indonesia, Carlos Roberto Turchetto Junior. Brazil has been recognized by the World Organisation for Animal Health as free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination, but Indonesia has not fully recognized that status. The new approvals therefore increase competition among Brazilian processors for a fast-growing market, while purchasing power remains concentrated in state-controlled importers.
