The Minister of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Maman Abdurrahman, has urgently stressed the necessity of "sterilizing" the domestic market from the overwhelming dominance of foreign products. Speaking at the 2025 Kadin National Leadership Meeting, the Minister argued that this crucial step is essential to safeguard local MSME players and enhance the resilience of national industries.
Minister Abdurrahman highlighted that the current influx of imported goods—particularly unmonitored 'white label' items and illegal used clothing—is severely undermining local businesses, especially within the high-volume fashion sector. He cited alarming figures, noting that the volume of imported used clothes surged dramatically from 7 tons in 2021 to 3,600 tons in 2024.
He emphasized that government support in funding, training, and marketing will remain ineffective if the playing field is not fair. "For local MSMEs, complying with standards like NIB, SNI, and BPOM is mandatory, yet many competing foreign products circulate easily without strict regulatory oversight," he noted. The Minister called for robust, cross-ministerial collaboration to reform import regulations, ensuring MSMEs can truly become key economic players in their own nation. This market protection is viewed as a vital strategy for addressing economic challenges and sustaining the growth of the local workforce.
