President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo, has announced significant restrictions on the importation of 9 (nine) specific commodity categories. This strategic decision was reached during a closed-door meeting led by President Jokowi on Monday, October 9, 2023.
The affected commodities include children’s toys, electronic appliances, footwear, cosmetics, textile products, traditional medicines, health supplements, ready-made clothing and accessories, as well as various types of bags.
These measures are designed to curb the influx of imported goods into traditional markets and are expected to stimulate sales of domestically produced items while curbing the growth of imported goods sales through e-commerce platforms.
Airlangga Hartarto, the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, emphasized that tightening import regulations is a proactive response by the government to address the recent phenomenon of the domestic market being eroded by imported goods through e-commerce.
“This policy is driven by numerous complaints from associations and the public regarding the flood of imported goods in traditional markets,” said Airlangga.
Furthermore, the meeting also focused on the issue of illegal second-hand clothing imports, which have continued to surge despite the government’s ban on such imports since 2015.
According to data from the Statistics Indonesia, the import of second-hand clothing increased by a staggering 623% last year.
Additionally, the government is considering further regulations to combat the inflow of second-hand clothing. Zulkifli Hasan, The Minister of Trade, expressed the need to impose stricter controls on the distribution of second-hand clothing.
“Another policy we are pushing for is related to second-hand clothing. Its circulation needs to be prohibited,” he stated.
Apart from Minister Airlangga and Minister Zulkifli Hasan, several other high-ranking government officials were observed attending the meeting, including Sri Mulyani, the Finance Minister, Teten Masduki, Minister of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises, and Budi Arie Setiadi, Minister of Communication and Information Technology.
President Jokowi’s latest measures demonstrate the government’s commitment to safeguarding the domestic economy, fostering the growth of local industries, and addressing the challenges posed by the ever-evolving landscape of international trade.
