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.