Indonesia likely to ban imports of used machinery
26/11/2008 15:51
Indonesia will lift permits for the import of secondhand machinery to
support locally made machinery and to help save energy, a newspaper said in
Jakarta today.
The decision to reduce the import of goods and equipment was
also an effort to reduce the use of US dollars which has been squeezed due to
the global financial crisis.
According to Indonesian Machine and Tool
Industry Association chairman (Asimpi) Dasep Ahmadi, imports of machinery and
components amounted to a total of US$8 billion and US$5 billion respectively
last year.
Director general for metal, textile, machinery and miscellaneous
industries of the Industry and Trade Ministry Ansari Bukhari was quoted by the
Jakarta Post as saying that to support the plan, the government would revise the
regulation on it.
"Imports of used machinery should be banned because such
machines consume 15 percent to 20 percent more energy than the latest versions
and energy is really an issue in this country," he said.
The Central
Statistics Agency recorded US$7.44 billion in machinery imports during the first
half of this year, more than double the US$3.58 billion recorded in the same
period last year.
Xinhua
|
