Permendag 8/2024 Will Be Revised, Minister Of Industry Agus: Alhamdulillah, Thank You Ministry Of Trade

Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita. (Photo: Theresia Agatha/VOI)

JAKARTA - Minister of Industry (Menperin) Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita welcomed the plan of the Ministry of Trade (Kemendag) to revise the Regulation of the Minister of Trade (Permendag) Number 8 of 2024 concerning import policies and regulations.

Agus said the revision of the Permendag 8/2024 was for the sustainability of the domestic manufacturing industry.

"Alhamdullilah, thank you to the Ministry of Trade for the intention to revise the Minister of Trade Regulation 8/2024. This is something positive in early 2025," Agus said as quoted from his official statement, Tuesday, January 7.

In this case, the Ministry of Industry has also been invited to sit down together and discuss related to the urgency of improving the import relaxation policy which is considered to be suppressing the domestic industry because it is invaded by imported products.

"We have indeed been invited to a discussion and are ready to help provide input on the substance needed by manufacturing. This is proof that coordination in the Red and White Cabinet is going well," he said.

Previously, the Acting Director General of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Textile Industries (IKFT) of the Ministry of Industry, Reni Yanita, hoped that the finished clothing and textile industry could grow higher with the revision of Permendag Number 8 of 2024.

Based on data from the Ministry of Industry, the textile and textile product (TPT) industry as a whole grew 3.32 percent until the third quarter of 2024.

The clothing industry grew 4.6 percent, while the upstream textile industry was still contracting last year.

"Moreover, there is enthusiasm, he said, he wants to revise the Minister of Trade Regulation 8/2024. The hope is that from finished clothes, here, the growth is even better, not only 4.6 percent if the clothes can be purchased locally," said Reni when met by reporters at the Ministry of Industry office, Jakarta, Monday, January 6th.

According to Reni, the textile industry contracted because the clothing industry was located in a banded area, so the needs of fabrics and threads were not prioritized from the local.

Not only that, the pressure of performance is also due to the late extension of the import duty for cloth security measures contained in the Minister of Finance Regulation (PMK) Number 48 of 2024. The additional import duty rules for imported cloth expire in 2022, which is regulated in PMK Number 78 of 2021.

In other words, there is a protection gap of about 1.5 years for the national fabric industry.

"There are also several cloth companies that may be closed, so this is filled with imports. Well, that also indicates why this data has dropped," said Reni.

To note, Permendag Number 8 of 2024 is set on May 17, 2024 and signed by Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas) who was the Minister of Trade (Mendag) at that time.

This regulation changes the provisions in Permendag Number 36 of 2023 concerning Import Policy and Regulation as has been changed several times recently.