Jakarta. The government is planning to bridge imported used clothes sellers with domestic producers, so they will not lose their source of income amidst the country’s intense crackdown on used clothing imports.

Indonesia is now putting more attention on driving secondhand clothing imports away from the country. As a win-win solution, the government will help imported used clothing sellers to get in touch with domestic apparel producers. This way, they can switch from selling imported secondhand apparel, which is illegal in Indonesia, to homegrown products instead.

"We already have 12 producers that are willing to become the suppliers for those who formerly sell imported used clothing. These producers have good products with competitive prices," Small and Medium Enterprise Minister Teten Masduki told a press briefing in Jakarta on Monday.

Teten did not disclose the names of the 12 producers. But according to Teten, any producer is free to apply to be the supplier. He added that thrift-shop sellers also would need not worry about making the switch as local brands are now gaining popularity among Indonesians.

The government has recently set up a hotline for sellers who are impacted by the imported secondhand clothes ban. The hotline so far has received 21 reports. Four of these are unverified, meaning the sellers who submitted the reports did not identify themselves.

In some of the reports, the sellers expressed their intent to get connected with the local apparel producers. 

SMESCO Indonesia, an agency under the MSME Ministry, revealed that the 12 producers did not only produce apparel. Some of them produce cosmetics, herbal products, and many more. There are also no specific requirements that the producers have to meet before supplying their products.

“Having this wide range of producers is to give the sellers [who used to sell imported old clothes] as many options as possible. The confirmed producers include Rosella who is known for their modest wear,” Wientor Rah Mada, the director of business and marketing at SMESCO Indonesia, told reporters shortly after the press briefing.

The government reported that unrecorded import of textile products, including illegally imported clothes, stood at 31 percent.

Read More: Indonesia’s Textile and Clothing Export Predicted to Drop by 10 pct

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