Importers Urge Govt to Establish Import Excange Rate

Medan, N.Sumatra (Antara) - The Indonesian National Importers Association (GINSI) in North Sumatra has urged the government to draw a policy on the Rupiah to US dollar exchange rate with regard to imports especially of capital goods. "A policy is needed to protect national trade. The government can learn from other countries that have been established such a policy," the Chairperson of the North Sumatra GINSI, Khairul Mahalli, said here Wednesday. According to him, a stability in the exchange rates of imported commodities was important for stable export rates. "If import rates are unstable or expensive, then export rates will automatically go up. This will be disadvantageous for consumers and will weaken the competitiveness of export commodities," Khairul noted. He added that the strong exchange rate of the US dollar to Rupiah gave the importers a difficult time dealing with customs at seaports. Businesspersons faced trouble selling their imported goods as the costs were getting higher and higher and the sale prices could not be raised directly due to contracts. Khairul said the exchange rate of the US dollar to Rupiah for imports was around Rp11,000 to Rp11,500. (*)