Indonesia Destroys Rp174.8bn Illegally Imported Goods in 2023

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Ministry of Trade revealed the rise of goods imported illegally into the country last year. In total, the value of illegal imported goods destroyed reached Rp174.8 billion or around US$11.2 million.

Among the products destroyed were imported used clothes, shoes and bags. This violates the Minister of Trade Regulation No.40/2022 on the amendment to the Minister of Trade Regulation No.18/2021 on Goods Prohibited from Export and Goods Prohibited from Import.

Throughout 2023, the Trade Ministry will supervise 1,061 business actors, consisting of 497 business actors resulting from supervision of trade sector activities and 594 business actors resulting from post-border supervision.

"In response to the trade rife of illegally imported goods, I directly led the destruction of goods worth Rp174.8 billion," Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan said at his office, Central Jakarta on Thursday, January 4.

In March, the ministry destroyed 18,250 pieces of used imported clothing, shoes, and bags in Pekanbaru, Riau with a total value of Rp10 billion.

Authorities also destroyed products that were sold without complying with regulations. In October, Rp49.95 billion worth of these illegally imported products were destroyed at the Cikarang Customs and Excise Stockpile (TPP) in Bekasi. They consist of used clothing, non-standard steel, electronics, medical devices, food, drinks, and measuring instruments that do not comply with permits.

There were also products such as children's toys and electronic goods that did not have a warranty card and manuals in Indonesia and did not meet Indonesian national standards (SNI).

In June, the ministry's Directorate General of Consumer Protection and Business Order (PKTN) destroyed illegal products in the form of candies, tea powder, spices, flavors, liquid perfume, and copper in the Keroncong Industrial Area, Banten. Worth a value of more than Rp13.3 billion, these were goods confiscated based on the results of supervision of the post-border import trade system.

DANIEL A. FAJRI

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