The Indonesian government has officially launched the first phase of its import deregulation policy, easing restrictions on 10 categories of goods in a move aimed at enhancing competitiveness, streamlining business processes, and supporting domestic industries. 

Trade Minister Budi Santoso, Antara News cited from his press briefing on Monday, “We are relaxing import procedures for ten types of products to streamline licensing and facilitate business operations.” He emphasized that this reform is part of a broader economic strategy to simplify bureaucracy, reduce business costs, and stimulate national growth. 

Among the commodities affected by the new policy are forestry products, subsidized fertilizers, fuel and energy materials, plastic raw materials, certain chemical substances, pearls, food trays, footwear, bicycles, and food additives such as saccharin, cyclamate, and alcohol-based flavor preparations. 

The largest category affected is forestry products. A total of 441 harmonized system (HS) code products related to forestry will benefit from the deregulation. Imports of these products—such as logs, plywood, and wooden crates—no longer require Import Approval (PI) from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. However, importers are still required to submit an import declaration to ensure the legality and traceability of the wood. 

“Most imported forestry products are raw materials for industry, so deregulation is needed,” said Santoso, as written by Jakarta Globe.  

He added that although the process has been simplified, “there is still import deregulation from the Forestry Ministry to trace the legality of imported wood and ensure no exploitation of domestic forests.” 

Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni echoed this sentiment, highlighting that the reform would offer legal certainty, facilitate investment, and generate employment.  

“We will manage these regulations well to provide legal certainty, improve the ease of doing business, as well as create jobs,” he stated in Jakarta on Tuesday. He also confirmed that the policy was finalized in collaboration with the Trade Ministry and the Finance Ministry. 

Other deregulated items serve key government priorities. For example, the eased import rules on subsidized fertilizers aim to support food self-sufficiency programs by reducing delays in the fertilizer supply chain.  

Food trays are being deregulated to ensure adequate supply for the government’s Free Nutritious Meal Program for schoolchildren. Pearls and certain chemicals will now be more accessible to industries reliant on these materials for production and export purposes. 

While these changes signal a shift toward more open trade, the government remains cautious in certain sectors. “Textile and apparel imports, including garments and accessories, will remain tightly controlled,” Santoso said, noting that these items are still protected under the revised Trade Ministry regulations to support local manufacturers.