JAKARTA - The Ministry of Trade destroyed 730 bales of used clothes, shoes and bags suspected of being imported worth approximately Rp. 10 billion.
This destruction is carried out to protect consumers from the threat of health and domestic industry.
Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan said the destruction was a response and one of the responsibilities for the rampant trade in used clothes, footwear, and bags from imports that did not comply with the provisions.
"We destroyed as many as 730 bales of clothing, footwear, and used bags with a value of up to Rp. 10 billion. This is a follow-up to the supervision of trade and imports of used clothes that we carry out in a sustainable manner," he said at the Airport Payung Sekaki Type A Terminal in Pekanbaru, Riau, Friday, March 17.
Zulhas, as Zulkifli Hasan is familiarly called, emphasized that this extermination is a form of commitment from the Ministry of Trade in the process of supervision and law enforcement related to violations in the field of trade and consumer protection.
Zulhas said, this extermination was a follow-up to the direction of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) at the opening of the Domestic Product Matching Business which condemned the import of used clothing because it had disrupted the domestic industry.
"The president's directive is very firm so that the domestic industry and MSMEs are maintained and must be protected from the invasion of used clothes, footwear, and used bags from imports," he explained.
The Ministry of Trade, he continued, regularly monitors and oversees the circulation of this used clothing and enforces the law by destroying it.
He emphasized that used clothes, shoes, and bags are goods that are prohibited from importing based on the Regulation of the Minister of Trade Number 18 of 2021 as amended by the Regulation of the Minister of Trade Number 40 of 2022 concerning Amendments to the Regulation of the Minister of Trade Number 18 of 2021 concerning Prohibited Goods for Exports and Goods Prohibited from Imports.
"In addition to law enforcement, educational steps and socialization of the use of domestic products are also carried out," he said.
Zulhas hopes that consumers will prioritize buying new clothes from the domestic industry and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Domestic products are no less good than imported products, both in terms of quality and trend.
According to him, the high use of domestic products can also suppress the circulation of used clothing.
"We urge the Indonesian people to be proud to use domestic products in order to maintain the dignity of the nation. By avoiding the use of used clothes from imports, consumers can avoid the bad effects of used clothing in the long term and at the same time participate in strengthening domestic industries and MSMEs," he said.
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