Tanah Abang vendors prefer foreign buyers
Tanah Abang vendors prefer foreign buyers
Annastashya Emmanuelle, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Tanah Abang market in Central Jakarta is far from being a
convenient place to shop. There is no proper ventilation and no
air conditioners, while the shops are small and cramped and
passageways are too narrow. But it is always crowded and among
the loyal shoppers are a number of Africans.
Vendors welcome foreign buyers as they usually buy goods in
large quantities and pay in cash, either in dollars or in rupiah.
"I have often heard that some Africans might be involved in
drug dealing here. But what's important to me is that I have
never had a problem doing business with them," said one garment
vendor at the market, Elfahendri.
He said that the African buyers often purchased dozens of
garments from him, worth between Rp 200 million (about US$20,000)
and Rp 300 million for one transaction.
Another garment vendor, Sampeno, who has been doing business
in the market for the past 25 years, said that his store could
make up to Rp 800 million a month from dealing with the African
buyers alone.
Some of the foreigners even run outlets at hotels in the Tanah
Abang area, in which they deal exclusively with African buyers.
At Fokus hotel, the first and second floors are divided into
small rooms that display various garments.
Hotel manager Sulaiman, acknowledged that 90 percent of
occupants in his hotel were from African countries.
As for the room use for garment outlets, Sulaiman said that
they were all rented by Indonesian nationals.
"Yet the Africans are the ones providing business because they
have a wide network in the garment business," he said.
A Nigerian businessman who runs two adjacent shops in the
hotel said that he usually spent between Rp 200 million and Rp
600 million per trip, in fabric shops at the Tanah Abang market
for his garment business located in Bekasi. He usually shops for
fabrics twice a month.
The shops and garment business in Bekasi are under the name of
his Indonesian ex-wife whom he married in 1998 and divorced a few
months ago.
The businessman who refused to be named, said that he entered
Indonesia on a business visa and must return to his country to
renew it every few months.
His garment business, where he employs 65 seamstresses, is
profitable, he said, and running well.
"I send some of the garments to Nigeria and also take orders
from my fellow African buyers," he told The Jakarta Post.
Another Nigerian businessman, Chidi Onw, claimed to bring in
approximately $65,000 in cash from each trip. He would spend
around $48,000 to buy garments, enough to buy around 18,000
pieces from vendors at the Tanah Abang market.
The goods are delivered to a cargo service company who pack
the garments and send them to his country.
"Alfindo cargo usually charges me $5,400 per container," he
said, referring to the company located across the street from
Fokus hotel.
At Alfindo cargo's warehouse, most of the packages bore
African addresses, the majority bound for Nigeria, but the
Alfindo manager Hermawan, said he only sent a few shipments from
African businesman.
Staff at Fokus cargo, located at Fokus hotel, also claimed
that they did not have many African clients.
Business is booming at Tanah Abang market and the surrounding
area despite the country's ailing economy.
According to data from city-owned market management PD Pasar
Jaya, the annual turnover of Tanah Abang market reached Rp 90
trillion in 2000, with 4,200 registered vendors.