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Secondhand clothes market thrives
Health risk: Trade officials inspect imported used clothing at Toddopuli Market in Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Thursday
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span class="inline inline-center">Health risk: Trade officials inspect imported used clothing at Toddopuli Market in Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Thursday. The government has warned the public of diseases that may be transmitted through imported used clothing. Antara/Yusran Uccang
For Yana, a student at Al-Azhar University in Medan, North Sumatra, buying used clothing has become something of a ritual.
Because she is hunting 'like new' brand-name clothing, Yana doesn't lose sleep over the price of the items she'll find: almost all of it is highly affordable.
'Used imported clothing is good quality and is cheap as well. It really suits a student like me with limited cash on hand,' said Yana after paying Rp 35,000 (US$2.77) for a used black skirt at the Simpang Kuala Padang Inpres market in Padang Bulan, Medan.
Yana's interest in secondhand clothing is partly attributable to the government's inability to crack down on illegal shipments of used apparel that not only threatens local garment manufacturers but also poses health risks.
The Trade Ministry released Wednesday findings showing that in extreme cases, female pants contained colonies of bacteria commonly associated with menstruation, as used clothing is often sold before being washed.
The ministry's study identified 25 items ' including dresses, vests, sweaters, boxers, and shirts ' contained sizeable colonies of dangerous bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli); bacteria that could cause itches, gastric disease or even genital infection.
'We call on consumers not to buy imported used clothing due to the hazards. We also urge buyers not to sell it,' said Widodo, the Trade Ministry's director general for standards and consumer protection.
Despite the warning, the illegal smuggling of used clothing has created a lucrative industry, especially in Sumatra, where more than 100 illegal entry points and 10 airports and sea ports make it easy for the illegal apparel to enter the domestic market.
Juli Sitanggang, a used-apparel seller in Medan, said that vendors would likely continue selling the clothing because demand was strong and the clothing was inexpensive to buy.
'Now there are vendors of used clothing in every market across Medan. The number is rising because the demand for it keeps surging,' he said.
Originally, used clothing in Medan was restricted to an area near Monginsidi Street, popularly known as 'Monginsidi Plaza', or 'Monza'. Now, however, the business has spread throughout North Sumatra, including Deli Serdang, Langkat, Pematang Siantar, Binjai and Tanjung Balai.
When asked about the health hazards, Yana said patrons should wash and iron the clothes before wearing them.
The distribution of smuggled secondhand clothing has also attracted government attention due to its negative effect on the domestic garment industry, particularly upon small- and medium-sized enterprises.
Business associations like the Indonesian Textile Association (API) have voiced such concerns, saying the massive shipments of illegal clothing creates unhealthy competition in the local market of 250 million people and could potentially injure small- and medium-sized producers, a problem that Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel has also acknowledged.
'Not only are consumers harmed in terms of health, but also our small-sized manufacturers cannot develop well. Access to the market should be given to them and if they excel, they can export [their products],' he said, citing small- and medium-sized shoemakers in Cibaduyut, Bandung, West Java, as a success story.
Nevertheless, Rachmat acknowledged that the government would be hard-pressed to clamp down on the pervasive smuggling.
However, he said the authorities could act by monitoring the entry of apparel through illegal entry points and by confiscating illegally smuggled clothes. Authorities could also work to prohibit people from buying used clothes, he said.
Under a 2002 trade ministerial decree, used clothing imports, like all used items, are prohibited.
The government is now preparing a regulation to implement the 2014 Trade Law, which bans overseas purchases of all goods, except raw materials for manufacturing.
