17,304 Containers Detained, Government Relaxes Policy On Restricting Imported Goods

Overcoming the problem of import licensing and container buildup at several ports, the government has agreed to revise the rules in the Minister of Trade Regulation Number 36 of 2023 which has been in effect since March 10, 2024.

The tightening in the previous regulation resulted in at least 17,304 containers at Tanjung Priok Port and 9,111 containers in Tanjung Perak being held.

The container, which is dominated by steel iron, textiles, textile products, chemical products, electronic products, and other commodities, cannot be submitted for import documents, because it is hampered by import approval (PI) or technical considerations (Pertek) from the relevant ministries.

In this regard, the Director of Communication and Guidance for Customs and Excise Service Users, Nirwala Dwi Heryanto, emphasized that the government had agreed to change or relax the rules in an internal meeting with President Joko Widodo on Friday, May 17.

The change was determined through Permendag Number 8 of 2024 which was issued and promulgated and took effect on May 17, 2024.

Through this regulation, the government has agreed to provide relaxation of import licensing for seven groups of goods, namely: electronics, footwear, finished clothes and finished clothing accessories, sarta valve bags. Then for the goods that have entered since March 10, 2024, all of them can be completed referring to the regulations in the new Permendagter that apply retroactively.

In addition, the government will also issue regulations for non-commercial or personal-use goods groups from the Permendag. In line with the revision of the new Permendag, the Ministry of Finance has issued KMK as a technical implementation guideline for Customs and Excise in the field.

In line with the President's directive regarding the determination of the Amendment to Permendag 36 of 2023, today Customs and Excise together with the Port Authority have issued 30 containers consisting of 13 containers at Tanjung Priok Port and 17 containers at Tanjung Langkah Port, responsive steps made by the Government will be faster and wider to be able to issue around 26 thousand containers, which have been held at the ports of Tanjung Priok and Tanjung Perak in recent times.

It is hoped that the handling of capital goods, supporting goods and consumer goods at these ports will help accelerate business activities and support national economic activities.

"With this regulation, we hope that business actors will immediately re-submit the import licensing process which was hampered. According to the President's direction, the government will also play an active role in supporting the acceleration of solving this problem," concluded Nirwala.