October 27, 2025 | 03:31 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa stated that serious measures will be taken to protect domestic products by cracking down on the illegal import of second-hand clothing. Suppliers of second-hand clothing, or thrift stores, will be banned from importing goods permanently.
The Directorate General of Customs and Excise of the Ministry of Finance enforces the prohibition of illegally imported second-hand goods. The treasury has stated that so far, the punishment for importers who violate the regulations has only been the destruction of the goods and fines.
Purbaya has announced that a new regulation will be issued to serve as a deterrent. "So, the goods will be destroyed, the individuals fined, imprisoned, and will also be blacklisted. Those involved will be permanently banned from importation," he said at the Bank Mega Tower, Jakarta, on Monday, October 27, 2025.
Previously, the Directorate General of Customs and Excise reported that second-hand clothing bales are the most commonly smuggled illegal commodity in several regions. From August 2024 to August 2025, Customs and Excise carried out 2,584 enforcement actions, with an estimated value of seized goods reaching Rp49.44 billion.
From August 9 to 12, Customs and Excise, in collaboration with the Navy, seized 747 packages of clothing and clothing accessories, as well as 8 packages of second-hand bags worth Rp1.5 billion at the Tanjung Priok Port. Nirwala Dwi Heriyanto, the Director of Communication and User Guidance Service of Customs and Excise, stated that the case in Tanjung Priok adds to the long list of efforts to eradicate the circulation of illegally imported second-hand clothing.
In addition, the Director General of Customs and Excise, Djaka Budhi Utama, stated that the majority of illegally imported second-hand clothing comes from Malaysia. Djaka stated that enforcement in August was carried out in two locations, namely Kalimantan and the Malacca Strait, which borders the neighboring country.
"If we look at the frequency of goods entering Indonesian territory, the majority comes from Malaysia. Because almost all of the packages that enter always come from Malaysia," he said in a press conference at the Tanjung Priok Port, North Jakarta, on Thursday, August 14, 2025.
Editor's Choice: Citi Indonesia Expects Bank Indonesia to Cut Benchmark Rate to 4.25% This Year
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
The Controllers of Textile Import Quotas
22 menit lalu
It is suspected that textile import quotas are still being unfairly distributed, worsening the strain on an already distressed industry.
Indonesia's Mining Industry Urges Government to Scrap B50 Biodiesel Plan
53 menit lalu
Mining entrepreneurs believe that implementing B50 biodiesel in 2026 will incur additional costs.
The Textile Industry Caught in the Middle
1 jam lalu
The domestic textile industry is on the verge of collapse as a result of legal imports and smuggled goods.
Purbaya Imposes Tariffs on 27 Textile Imports
2 hari lalu
The Indonesian Trade Security Committee (KPPI), under Purbaya, announced the imposition of safeguard import duties on 27 HS codes of cotton yarn.
Agriculture Ministry Reveals Reasons for Indonesia's Cocoa Production Decline
3 hari lalu
Changes in land use have caused a decline in cocoa production.
World's Seventh-Largest Cocoa Producer, Indonesia Remains an Importer
4 hari lalu
Based on data from The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) in 2025, Indonesia's cocoa production reached 200,000 tons per year.
MSMEs Minister Admits Indonesia Unable to Counteract Effects of Imported Goods
4 hari lalu
Indonesia's Minister of MSMEs, Maman Abdurrahman, addresses the surge of imports entering Indonesia and disrupting the local market.
Minister: 90 Percent of Industrial Salt Needs in Indonesia Are Still Imported
4 hari lalu
Indonesian Minister of Industry stated that 90 percent of the chlor-alkali plant (CAP) industry's salt needs in the country still rely on imports.
Indonesia Aims to Halt Industrial Salt Imports by 2027
5 hari lalu
Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan said that the government will stop importing all types of salt by 2027.
Government Suspects Irregularities in Indonesia's Rice Imports
10 hari lalu
Coordinating Minister for the Food Zulkifli Hasan asserts that the government will not import rice as production increases.
