Trade Minister: Smart Consumers Can Curb the Pace of Imported Products

Trade Minister Budi Santoso has reminded the public of the importance of consumers’ roles in boosting the competitiveness of Indonesian local products. “One role of consumers is how we use domestic production well, but with the condition that the production or products have competitiveness,” Budi said on the sidelines of the National Consumer Day (Harkonas) 2026 celebration in Jakarta on Sunday (10/5/2026). According to him, consumers play an important role in controlling the quality of products and services in the market. “Now, who can make this product competitive? One of them is the consumer, because the consumer controls both products and services; everything can be controlled by the consumer,” he added. Thus, domestic products are seen to have a greater chance of competing with imported goods. “If consumers already understand which products are good and which are not, then automatically producers will be controlled to produce or manufacture products that have competitiveness. If the product already has competitiveness, that means we can hold back the pace of imports,” he said. Consumer protection and producer protection must go hand in hand Budi said that consumer protection needs to run in tandem with protection for local producers so that the national trade ecosystem remains healthy. “We continue to collaborate with related stakeholders and business actors. If we are to protect consumers, we also cannot leave out producers, because we must go together; we cannot walk alone,” Budi stated. “If producers can provide good services and good products, they will certainly get better. When we have competitiveness, producers also benefit, not just consumers. So both must go together; collaboration is needed between producers, consumers, and all related institutions,” he said.