"The government must first investigate to determine whether the imported products are really being dumped," Apindo deputy chairman Anton Supit said when contacted by ANTARA here on Saturday.
He said if it is proven that the products have been dumped on the local market, the government must then take action.
"After it is proven, then the government might take appropriate actions. However, it must first be assured that the products are really cheaper because of dumping and not because of the inability of the country`s products to compete with them," he said.
Anton said the government must not automatically brand all inexpensive products that enter the country as having been dumped and must determine whether domestic products are actually unable to compete with them.
"In case dumping has really happened, it will indeed be a large concern, but we must be able to tightly control the market if this, indeed, happens," he said.
He added that the government could implement existing rules according to the World Trade Organization regulations if dumping was discovered.
Early in February, deputy trade minister Bayu Krisnamurthi said the government would make efforts to secure the domestic market by protecting consumers.
"It will also improve the competitive power of the local products and campaign among local consumers to buy local products, because Indonesia would become a new market for products, not only from China and Brazil," he said.
Based on National Statistics data, the trade balance from January to December 2011 recorded a surplus of US$26.32 billion, and in December it also recorded a surplus, with exports totalling US$17.20 billion and imports US$16.34 billion.
Exports in December 2011 dropped by 0.22 percent to US$17.20 billion from November`s exports recorded at US$17.24 billion. The drop in exports in December 2011 was caused by a decline in the exports of non-oil/gas products to US$13.60 billion from the previous US$13.71 billion.
Thus, year-on-year exports rose 2.19 percent from December 2010 exports. In the January to December 2011 period, total exports reached US$203.62 billion, rising by 29.05 percent year-on-year.
(V003/H-YH/KR-BSR/F001)
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
