Indonesia's Ministry of Industry shifts entry of seven imported goods to the East

The Minister of Industry (Menperin) plans to move the point of entry for seven imported goods to the eastern region of Indonesia, with the aim of reducing the impact of layoffs on the industry, especially the textile industry (PHK).Through this policy, he hopes that domestic products will be able to compete with imports, especially in terms of price, as transportation costs are much higher in eastern Indonesia. He emphasized, however, that this is not a tightening or banning of imported goods from entering the country, but rather a shifting of ports of entry, and at least this applies to seven types of imported goods. So there will be no tightening of goods imports, but for these seven goods, the government will determine the point of entry through the eastern ports so that the local industry will be more competitive.

The seven commodities include textiles and textile products (TPT), other textile products, electronics, footwear, apparel, ceramics, and cosmetics or beauty products.There are plans to move special entrances for specific imports to Sorong, Bitung or Kupang, a policy that will be immediately reported to President Joko at this week's limited meetings (Ratas). It is certain that he will discuss it in coordination with the Ministry of Trade and Customs and Finance. The material is almost complete and the day after tomorrow they will go to the President for instructions. According to the Ministry of Manpower, from the beginning of the year until August 23, 2024, the number of layoffs in the country reached 45,762 people. The worst affected sectors are manufacturing or processing industries such as textiles, garments and footwear. Meanwhile, the most affected areas are the provinces of Central Java, Banten and West Java.