Indonesia to Tightly Control Illegally Imported Goods

Jakarta, Indonesia (News Today) - The government plans to tighten its control of illegally-imported consumer goods ahead of the Lebaran post-fasting month, a minister said.

"I have received a report that a great deal of (illegally-) imported consumer goods such as textiles and foods is circulating in Indonesia," Industry Minister MS Hidayat said during a working visit to Tanjung Priok port here on Saturday.

Data from associations and manufacturers showed many consumer goods from China were circulating in Indonesia but the customs and excise directorate general noted there had been an increase in the import of motor vehicles, he said.

"There is difference between the report from industries and the report from the customs and excise directorate general. May be they considered the consumer goods entering Indonesia illegal," he said.

The tight control of illegally-imported consumer goods was needed to avoid further losses to the state, he said.

"It is important for customs and excise authorities to take safeguard measures, and check goods and licensing documents to see if the goods are not illegal," he said.

The flood of Chinese goods to the domestic market posed an obstacle to the growth of the local industry. Director of Customs and Excise Information at the Customs and Excise Directorate General Susiwijono said about 177 sectors were affected following the implementation of ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) since early this year. Compared to June, imports in July rose 20.3 percent with imports under the ACFTA scheme increasing 36.4 percent.

Source : kompas

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