Government bans used truck imports<\/p>\n
Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Trade and Industry has issued a decree,
\neffective Jan. 1, to ban the importation of used trucks weighing
\nmore than 24 tons.<\/p>\n
Director of imports at the ministry Aang Kanaan Adikusumah
\ntold The Jakarta Post that the decree, dated Dec. 31, 2003, aimed
\nto promote national production.<\/p>\n
Used assets, such as trucks, machines or forklifts, were once
\nallowed to be imported under a 1997 ministerial decree. In
\nNovember 2002, the ministry issued another decree to prohibit the
\nimportation of trucks weighing below 24 tons, but allowed the
\nimport of those above 24 tons.<\/p>\n
\"We are now stopping the importation of trucks over 24 tons as
\nthey are now already widely produced by our national
\nmanufacturers,\" he said.<\/p>\n
In 2003, about 4,000 trucks weighing more than 24 tons entered
\nthe nation from Japan, Singapore, Europe and Australia, according
\nto Aang.<\/p>\n
Chairman of the Association of Indonesian Automotive
\nManufacturers (Gaikindo) Bambang Trisulo praised the new policy,
\nsaying it would do the national automotive industry good.<\/p>\n
He said that in the past, despite a regulation that banned
\nimports of used trucks below 24 tons, many unscrupulous importers
\ncould bring such trucks into the country, by lying to custom
\nofficials that the trucks weighed more than 24 tons.<\/p>\n
Thus, with the new decree, Bambang expected that the importers
\ncould not use the same ploy to bring in trucks below 24 tons.<\/p>\n
\"About 7,000 used trucks below 24 tons enter the country
\nannually, despite a prohibition by the government,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Most come in via Batam and Sabang.<\/p>\n
Bambang acknowledged that a used truck was normally cheaper by
\nRp 100 million (US$11,780 million) than a new one, but in the
\nlong term, it cost the nation and buyers more.<\/p>\n
\"The importation of used vehicles will only produce a short-
\nterm profit for importers but not for the industry itself. Apart
\nfrom causing much pollution, used vehicles have higher
\nmaintenance costs. Furthermore, it damages the national
\nautomotive industry,\" he said.<\/p>\n
According to Bambang, most used trucks imported into the
\ncountry were at least six years old.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/government-bans-used-truck-imports-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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