Textile Import Quota Reaps Polemic, Industry Welcomes Positiveness Of Minister Of Finance Purbaya

JAKARTA - The Association of Indonesian Filament Filament Fiber and Benang Producers (APSyFI) appreciates the statement of attitude of the Minister of Finance (Menkeu) Purbaya Yudhi Sadive regarding illegal imports.

Purbaya said the government would start cleaning up illegal imports through smuggling at ports. The reason is, illegal import floods continue to harm the domestic industry.

APSYFI General Chair Redma Gita Wiraswasta said Purbaya's attitude gave new hope to the national textile and textile product (TPT) industry which had been harmed so far.

"We have been pushing for this agenda for more than three years. Domestic producers are almost desperate because the proposed eradication of smuggling has always run aground, even suspected of involving unscrupulous officials and politicians," said Redam in an official statement received by VOI, Monday, September 22.

He revealed that trademap.org records, around 1.5-2 billion US dollars in imports of TPT from China are not recorded in Customs every year, equivalent to 28,000 containers of illegal imported goods.

Redma said the Minister of Finance Purbaya's statement provided a bright spot for the problem.

The next anxiety is the import quota which according to Redma is still too high. Currently, APSYFI is intensely communicating with the Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) regarding its calculations so as not to kill local producers.

On the other hand, this step is still doubtful in the Islamic Student Association Alumni Corps (KAHMI). KAHMI Executive Director Agus Riyanto is pessimistic that the Ministry of Industry will lower the import quota. The reason, he said, was that there was an alleged import mafia in the state institution.

According to him, officials often argue that domestic producers are unable to meet their needs. In fact, in reality many companies close and lay off employees due to high import quotas.

He said the practice had been going on for more than five years and involved a strong network within the Ministry of Industry. Agus asked law enforcement officials to intervene and urged President Prabowo to continue the bureaucratic cleaning agenda.

"If the minister doesn't want to come clean, just clean it up too," said Agus.

Similar concerns were also conveyed by the Alumni Family Association of the Textile Institute of Technology' Textile Technology High School (IKA Textile) and the Working Convection Entrepreneurs Association (IPKB).

IPKB even asks for an import quota of clothes to be limited to a maximum of 50,000 tons per year, considering that the national garment production capacity has reached 2.8 million tons.