According to data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), export growth in the textile industry has been just 3 per cent annually over the last 10 years, while import growth was 20 percent annually in the same period. The Indonesian textile industry is seeking government’s protection from high growth of imports as the sector could not compete in both domestic and international markets.
To deal with the issue, Indonesia needs to introduce a law on cloth sovereignty to help the domestic textile industry to develop adding that the law would not only regulate imports, but also offer incentives to support the development of the national textile industry. As per Indonesian Filament and Fiber Producers Association (APSyFI) secretary-general Redma Gita Wirawasta, the upcoming Idul Fitri celebration should be used as an opportunity by the government to protect local textile products from the storm of imported products.
