Indonesia to tighten customs checks on some consumer goods after influx of imports

INDONESIA plans to tighten customs monitoring for some imported goods, including cosmetics, shoes, clothes, toys and electronics, the president’s office said on Friday (Oct 6), the country’s latest measure to curb imports.

The planned regulation follows complaints from business associations of an influx of imported goods that they say has disrupted local markets, the office said in a statement.

Currently, the distribution of these imported goods are classified as “post-border”, meaning it is monitored by related ministries.

The government will assign such imports to be monitored on “border” by customs authorities, mandating importers to obtain a permit and a surveyor report, Indonesia’s Chief Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto said in the statement.

A number of ministerial regulations will be revised within two weeks to reflect the plan, Airlangga said.

Airlangga promised the measure would not affect vessel dwelling time at ports, according to state news agency Antara.

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Last month, Indonesia set a minimum price of US$100 for items directly purchased from abroad on e-commerce platforms and required all products offered to meet local standards, in regulation that also banned e-commerce transactions on social media platforms.

The trade surplus of South-east Asia’s largest economy in January to August narrowed to US$24.3 billion, from nearly US$35 billion in the same period a year earlier, as exports fell amid declining commodity prices. REUTERS