Illegal imports account for 31 per cent of total clothing imports, he noted.

Indonesia will restrict textile product imports to address concerns over illegal import of such products, cooperatives and small, medium enterprises minister Teten Masduki said. Meanwhile, trade minister Zulkifli Hasan, after meeting Masduki, said the focus will be on destroying illegally-imported used clothing. Destruction operations have already begun.

“Illegal used clothes enter our country as waste. Our MSMEs cannot compete with it,” he was quoted as saying by a news agency.

The trade body noted that legally-imported apparel and footwear comprised 43 per cent of the domestic market.

Apart from acting against such importers, the government will also educate traders to protect domestic products.

Destruction of smuggled used clothing is essential to break the sales chain, Hasan said. Destruction operations have already been initiated in areas like Pekanbaru, East Java and Tangerang.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)