Ministry lifts ban on chemical

Ministry lifts ban on chemical

JAKARTA: The Minister of Industry and Trade has issued a decree allowing the import of 4 chloro-3 and 5-dimethylphenol (PCMX), two chemical substances required for soap production.

The Decree No. 417/2003 annuls a previous ministerial decree outlawing the import of the two substances.

"The substances have been used widely in 63 countries in the world including Indonesia, and therefore we see no reasons for maintaining the import ban," director of import at the Ministry of Industry and Trade Aang Adikusumah told reporters here on Tuesday.

However, he said that only importer producers recognized by the directorate general of foreign trade at the Ministry of Industry and Trade could import the substances.

"This way, we can be assured that PCMX will be used by purveyors only for producing soap and not for further trading," he said.

The new decree took effect on June 17. -- Antara