Indonesian Govt Urges Thrift Sellers at Pasar Senen to Shift to Local Products
Reporter
November 18, 2025 | 05:02 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) is currently seeking 1,300 local producers to supply clothing for thrifting traders in Pasar Senen and other centers that have been selling second-hand imported clothing. This step is part of the transition program towards local products, in line with the restrictions on imported second-hand clothing.
"Today, we also met with representatives from Pasar Senen (Senen Market). We hope they are willing to shift and start replacing the goods they sell with local products," said Deputy of Small Business at the Ministry of MSME, Temmy Satya Permana, to journalists at the Smesco building in South Jakarta, on Tuesday, 18 November 2025.
Temmy said that 1,300 brands will be selected again to meet traders' needs. Sellers can collaborate through business-to-business (B2B) channels as resellers or distributors, or they can start their own brand.
He acknowledged that this transition process still faces challenges, especially because traders are accustomed to buying second-hand clothing in bales, priced at Rp2 to Rp5 million per bale depending on quality. Therefore, the Ministry of MSME is asking local brand owners, both large and small companies, to develop similar package schemes that are competitive in terms of price and volume for the traders.
"This is business; it has to be mutually beneficial. We also ask local brands to prepare packages similar to the bale system, for example, a five-million package, the quantity and variations it offers," said Temmy.
He added that ultimately, consumers will determine whether local products can replace second-hand clothing. Therefore, the Ministry is curating the 1,300 brands to ensure that trader only offer brands that truly match the scale of their business.
"We cannot force it if the business package is too expensive or does not suit the trader's market segment. Everything has to be adjusted," he said.
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