Bemused & Bamboozled — problems with importing thatch into the USA
Recently, we’ve heard a few unsettling reports related to products with alang-alang (thatched grass) roofs.
Alang alang, if you’re not familiar with the term, is quite a common roof component in gazeboes; garden lanterns and tiki bars (as in the picture to the left).
On one occasion, a container with thatched roof was rejected in Hawaii and sent back to Indonesia (where it was not accepted by the authorities and is currently languishing… whereabouts unknown). In another case, the container was accepted into the US but after the thatched roofs were separated and incinerated by US customs.
After searching a little on the US Customs website and talking with a few customs brokers and shipping reps in the US, we’re still not able to find official confirmation that alang alang has been banned but we all agree that at this time, it’s not at all wise to try importing the thatched items.
Sean