Jakarta (VNA) – The Indonesian Government has decided to temporarily postpone its plan to import 105,000 pickup trucks and vans from India for the Merah Putih Village Cooperative programme, as authorities seek to carefully assess the impact on the domestic industry.
Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said that he agreed with a proposal by Deputy Speaker of Parliament Sufmi Dasco Ahmad to delay the import plan. The move comes as President Prabowo Subianto is on an overseas working trip.
Purbaya said President Prabowo has a clear stance on the issue, adding that the President wants to promote domestic industry.
News of the planned imports by state-owned PT Agrinas Pangan Nusantara was first announced by Indian automotive company Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M) on its website on February 4. M&M said it would supply 35,000 units of its Scorpio pickup.
On February 20, Agrinas Pangan Nusantara President Director Joao Angelo De Sousa Mota confirmed to the local media that the company planned to import 105,000 vehicles from Indian manufacturers, including 35,000 units of 4x4 pickup trucks from M&M, 35,000 units of 4x4 pickups, and 35,000 units of six-wheel trucks from Tata Motors.
However, Joao said the company is ready to comply with the Parliament’s request to postpone the import of pickup trucks from India.
He also affirmed that any units already arriving in Indonesia will await official Government instructions before being put into use or distributed./.
