The request was made by merchants to the Cooperatives and SMEs Ministry via a special hotline service for businesspersons affected by the ban on illegally imported used clothes, he said at a press conference here on Monday.
"There were quite many who asked for a solution since they can no longer sell their goods due to the ban," he added.
The ministry will follow up on this, he said, and informed that there are many local products for them to sell.
So far, the hotline service, which is the result of cooperation between the ministry and Smesco as well as several apparel producers and banking partners, has received 21 reports.
Of the total, there were 17 verified reports with 6 from West Java, 6 from Jakarta, 1 from Yogyakarta, 1 from North Sulawesi, 1 from South Sulawesi, and 1 from Banten.
Meanwhile, the other 4 reports were unverified.
In addition to local fashion producers, merchants also reported imported used clothes merchants who are still selling their goods via e-commerce. In response, Masduki said that the e-commerce sites have taken down such products.
The merchants also reported an imported used clothes operation in Batam. In addition, they expressed their support to the ministry by reporting social media accounts and e-commerce sites selling illegal clothes.
Masduki said that there is no leeway for e-commerce, but his ministry will tolerate small merchants to a small degree, especially considering the approaching Eid al-Fitr.
Businesspersons affected by the ban on illegally imported used clothes can make a report on the hotline numbers 0811-1451-587 (for WhatsApp messages) and 1500-587. They can also do so using the link https://linktr.ee/kanalkemenkopukm.
The minister also urged all parties to educate the public that the ban on illegally imported used clothes has been imposed as a form of support for micro, small, and medium enterprises.
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Translator: Kuntum Khaira R, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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