TEMPO.CO, Pekanbaru - The impact of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) that has been in place since January 2016 has started to show in Pekanbaru. Pekanbaru Industry and Commerce chief Masirba Sulaiman said imported food products not from ASEAN countries have flooded the market and roadside shops.
“Many imported products not from ASEAN countries have entered Pekanbaru,” said Masirba on Tuesday.
According to Masirba, several food and beverage products found in the market are from several countries, such as Japan, Chin and Korea. He said the imported products caused quite disadvantage for consumers because most of the products have no ‘halal’ label from the Indonesian Ulama Council on them.
“Majority of Pekanbaru citizens are Muslim, so whether the products are halal or not will certainly be questioned,” said Masirba. Based on field observation, the imported goods went through the countries that part of AEC agreement. “The countries that export those goods are Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam.”
Masirba questioned whether AEC mechanism allows ASEAN countries to import goods products produced by non-ASEAN countries. “We have submitted these findings to the Trade Ministry, but there’s still no answer,” he said.
Masirba said he can only monitor the distribution of the those imported goods because in AEC agreement, local governments can no longer ban goods from ASEAN countries from entering.
“We can only monitor. If we still find products from non-ASEAN countries, we will report to the Riau Provincial Government for further actions,” he said.
RIYAN NOFITRA
