Indonesian Government Establishes Working Group to Address Imported Goods Endangering MSMEs

The Ministry of Coordination for Community Empowerment will form an Import Working Group with the objective of monitoring incoming goods to prevent them from interfering with MSMEs.According to the Coordinating Minister, a working group is being set up to oversee and propose regulatory reforms to the President to address the problem of massive imports that are undermining domestic production, particularly affecting micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The current flood of imports has led to a decline in the volume of local products due to the influx of non-taxable or illegal imports. The working group, which will also review import-related regulations, will be led directly by the deputy of the Ministry of Coordination. The ministries have agreed to set up a working group to review regulations and deal with excessive imports, which will be followed up by a special working group that will invite participation in restricting imports that jeopardize the production of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). Although the members of the task force have not been identified, it will be coordinated by the deputy of the Ministry of Coordination to study obstructive regulations in an effort to address the root causes of the import problem.