Jakarta, March 1 -- Indonesia will not use the State Budget (APBN) to meet its commitment to facilitate US$4.5 billion worth of imports of US agricultural commodities under the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade, a government official said.

Haryo Limanseto, spokesperson for the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, stressed that the government's role is limited to facilitating and regulating cooperation between business actors in both countries, dismissing speculation that the imports would be state-led.

"The government will only serve as regulator and supervisor of quality standards, while transaction decisions and financing will rest entirely with private parties," he said in a statement issued on Sunday.

Limanseto noted that the im...