Asaki: Trump's Tariff Has No Significant Impact On The Ceramic Industry

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Association of Indonesian Ceramic Industries (Asaki) stated that the reciprocal tariff policy set by US President Donald Trump had no significant impact on the national ceramic industry.

"Asaki views that the impact of Trump's tariff policy on the national ceramic industry is not too worrying because so far the US is not included in the main export destination country of national ceramics," said Asaki Chairman Edy Suyanto in an official statement in Jakarta, quoted by Antara, Tuesday, April 9.

On the other hand, his party is seriously observing the threat of a spike in ceramic imports from China, India, and Vietnam due to the transfer of ceramic exports from these countries to the US after the application of reciprocal rates, potentially flooding the domestic market.

Furthermore, to ensure that the US reciprocal tariff does not have an impact on the ceramic sector, his party will strengthen the export market to the Southeast Asia (ASEAN) region.

This is because it views ASEAN as the main export market that is very strategic because it has a large population of around 680 million people, with a percentage of ceramic needs reaching 1.2 billion square meters per year.

"Asaki will strengthen its market share and more aggressively fill the demand for ceramics in the ASEAN region," he said.

Therefore, he hopes that the government will optimize gas supply in certain natural gas price policies (HGBT), open up gas import opportunities, and optimize programs to Increase the Use of Domestic Products (P3DN) to support market expansion plans.

"Asaki urges the Government to open gas import taps and impose a Domestic Market Obligation of gas for the domestic industry," he also said.

Presiden Prabowo Subianto menyebut Indonesia harus berani mencari pasar tujuan ekspor yang baru, terutama setelah terkena taru balik impor 32 persen ditambah taru impor umum 10 persen dari Amerika Serikat.

According to the President, the US President Donald Trump tariff policy has changed the global economic situation so that Indonesia needs to set a strategy to protect domestic interests.

"We will find a way out. We must dare to find a new market," said the President in an interview with seven senior journalists at the private residence of the President, Hambalang, Bogor Regency, West Java, Sunday (6/4), as quoted from TVRI broadcasts accessed in Jakarta, Tuesday.