Trade Minister to Form Task Force Against Illegal Goods Imports

Jakarta – Indonesian Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan has informed that his ministry, in collaboration with the Indonesia Retail and Tenant Association (Hippindo), will set up a task force to handle illegally imported goods.

On the sidelines of a meeting with Commission VI of the House of Representatives (DPR) on Monday, Minister Hasan stated that the task force's formation is a follow-up to meetings with several associations, including Hippindo, where complaints about the entry of illegal goods were raised.

"Commonly, the complaint is that there are a lot of illegal goods. Obviously, the follow-up action will be that we will create a task force together with the association," trade minister said in a statement on Monday.

According to the minister, the task force will check the sales of illegally imported goods in markets.

Minister Hasan further informed that the formation of the task force will involve consumer protection institutions, associations, and law enforcement institutions.

However, he did not provide details about the timeline for the task force's formation since his ministry will need to hold further meetings with the relevant parties, including the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) and the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (Hipmi).

Meanwhile, Kadin has also recommended that the government form a task force to eradicate illegal imports and illegally imported goods amid news about the potential increase in the volume of imported goods in domestic markets.

Kadin, including the associations under it, has asked the government to involve it in the formation of the task force.