The United States and New Zealand challenged Indonesia's import restrictions on food and other farm products, saying barriers to goods ranging from potatoes to poultry breached international trade obligations. Their request for a World Trade Organization dispute settlement panel to look at the import barriers kicks off a process that could lead to sanctions. "American-grown agriculture exports are tremendously beneficial to the economy of America's heartland," U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said in comments prepared for delivery at the announcement. "I'm proud to take this action today standing up on behalf of farmers and ranchers across the United States who have been shouldering unfair export barriers to the fourth largest country in the world, Indonesia." The import restrictions covered products such as apples, grapes, potatoes, onions, flowers, juice, dried fruit, cattle, chicken and beef, the U.S. trade office said. Nearly $200 million worth of U.S. exports to Indonesia were affected by import licensing regimes in 2014, including $122 million of fruit and vegetables, and other horticultural products. Exports of similar produce to Malaysia were worth $6 million more, although Indonesia's population is more than eight times bigger than Malaysia's, the trade office said. It is the fifth WTO case the United States has brought against Indonesia, and New Zealand's second. Indonesia also has two cases against the United States. (Reuters)