Customs Releases Data on 26,415 Containers Amid Import Surge

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Finance Ministry's Directorate General of Customs and Excise has released data on the contents of 26,415 containers previously stuck at Tanjung Priok and Tanjung Perak ports. This information was disclosed in a letter from Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati to Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita on August 2, 2024.

In the letter signed by Director General of Customs and Excise, Askolani, Customs divided the contents of the 26,415 containers based on the international product classification or Board Economic Category (BEC) system.

Of the total, 21,166 containers or 80.13% consisted of raw and auxiliary materials, 3,356 containers or 12.7% were consumer goods, and 1,893 containers or 7.17% were capital goods. Customs provided a more detailed breakdown of the container contents into ten major categories in the letter's attachment.

Nirwala Dwi Heryanto, Director of Communication and Guidance for Service Users, confirmed the information. “That's right, we categorize contents of the containers based on the Broad Economic Category system, which is the classification of imported goods according to their economic use,” she told Tempo on Monday, August 5.

However, the Ministry of Industry remains unsatisfied. The ministry’s spokesperson Febri Hendri Antoni Arif said the data is insufficient to assess the impact of the container release on domestic industries. Febri expressed concerns about potential hidden finished products within the 26,415 containers.

“It seems that data on the contents of the containers are ‘hidden’,” he said in a written statement on Monday, August 5.

The release of these containers coincides with the relaxation of import regulations through Trade Minister Regulation No. 8 of 2024. This has led to challenges for local industries, particularly in the convection sector. 

According to Nandi Herdiaman, chairman of the Association of Creative Convection Entrepreneurs (IPKB), approximately 70% of the association's 3,000 members have been forced to reduce production due to the influx of imported finished goods.

HAN REVANDA PUTRA

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