Skalanews - The Directorate General of Customs and Excise at the Ministry of Finance will focus on developing Bonded Logistics Centers (PLB) to enhance services for business players and reduce logistics costs that are still perceived as too high.

"The PLB review over the past year shows positive performance, both in terms of business and industrial support. We will continue to the next phase, covering three development areas," said Director General of Customs and Excise Heru Pambudi in Jakarta on Wednesday (12/4).

Heru stated that the Customs authorities will focus on three development areas to optimize PLBs: first, increasing the variety of commodities and raw materials that can enter these zones.

Second, expanding the number of PLBs beyond just Java and Sumatra. Third, developing new business areas by providing PLB goods through e-Commerce systems similar to services in Shenzhen's economic zone, China.

"Goods collected from remote regions and imported from abroad will be redistributed nationwide using e-Commerce. So businesses won't just stop at conventional models but evolve into modern ventures," Heru explained.

Establishing PLBs is part of the mandate from the second economic policy package aimed at lowering logistics costs and improving national trade efficiency. PLB has also been evaluated as the most successful implementation among economic policy packages, he added.

Currently, 34 PLBs operate across Indonesia, handling diverse inventories including automotive raw materials, mining and oil equipment, heavy machinery, SME supplies, defense materials, chemicals, commodities, personal care products, textiles, and aircraft parts.

In the past year, stored goods in PLB warehouses reached Rp1.16 trillion in value, sourced from 20 international suppliers, 34 international distributors, and 97 local distributors, with an average lead time of 1.8 days.

Since their establishment in March 2016, PLBs have contributed to state revenues with Rp10.28 billion in import duties, Rp27.13 billion in Article 22 Income Tax, and Rp120.09 billion in Value Added Tax from imports.

Following PLB implementation, several companies reportedly relocated warehouses from Singapore to Indonesia, including PT Cipta Krida Bahari which targeted 300,000 square meters of PLB warehouse space by 2020. (bus/antara)