The Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs recently stated that the government has revised Trade Minister Regulation No. 8 of 2024 and issued Trade Minister Regulation No. 16 of 2025. The regulation was formulated after proposals from government departments, relevant associations, and stakeholders, followed by a regulatory impact analysis and a technical working meeting. It also announced the 10 categories of goods benefiting from import relaxation: forestry products, subsidized fertilizers, plastic raw materials, other fuels, and food trays are free from import restrictions; while saccharin, stevia and alcohol-containing flavor preparations, specific chemicals, pearls, insoles, and two-wheeled and three-wheeled bicycles only need to go through the relevant procedures with inspection agencies. The policy aims to implement the directives of former President Joko Widodo, helping enterprises cope with uncertainties in global economic and trade development; provide convenience for enterprises, promote their competitiveness; create a sound ecosystem to continuously generate employment; promote labor-intensive industries, attract investment, and maintain existing investments to ensure national economic growth. The government is also advancing deregulation measures such as simplifying investment permits to comprehensively improve the business environment. Some opinions emphasize that import relaxation should prioritize raw material scales, while others caution careful implementation. Meanwhile, the plastics industry association worries that this policy may impact the industry. The Ministry of Trade mentioned relaxing imports of 441 types of forestry products to meet industrial needs, and the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs stated that the import relaxation policy will not affect national fiscal revenue, etc.
The Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs recently stated that the government has revised Trade Minister Regulation No. 8 of 2024 and issued Trade Minister Regulation No. 16 of 2025. The regulation was formulated after proposals from government departments, relevant associations, and stakeholders, followed by a regulatory impact analysis and a technical working meeting. It also announced the 10 categories of goods benefiting from import relaxation: forestry products, subsidized fertilizers, plastic raw materials, other fuels, and food trays are free from import restrictions; while saccharin, stevia and alcohol-containing flavor preparations, specific chemicals, pearls, insoles, and two-wheeled and three-wheeled bicycles only need to go through the relevant procedures with inspection agencies. The policy aims to implement the directives of former President Joko Widodo, helping enterprises cope with uncertainties in global economic and trade development; provide convenience for enterprises, promote their competitiveness; create a sound ecosystem to continuously generate employment; promote labor-intensive industries, attract investment, and maintain existing investments to ensure national economic growth. The government is also advancing deregulation measures such as simplifying investment permits to comprehensively improve the business environment. Some opinions emphasize that import relaxation should prioritize raw material scales, while others caution careful implementation. Meanwhile, the plastics industry association worries that this policy may impact the industry. The Ministry of Trade mentioned relaxing imports of 441 types of forestry products to meet industrial needs, and the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs stated that the import relaxation policy will not affect national fiscal revenue, etc.