BUMN Efforts To Speed Up The Production Of 2 Million Masks Amid The Difficulty Of Getting Raw Materials

Illustrated. (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - The demand for masks is increasing along with the spread of the corona virus or COVID-19 in Indonesia. In order to meet domestic needs, the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) is trying to import raw materials to produce 2 million masks.

Special Staff of the Ministry of BUMN, Arya Sinulingga, said that due to the difficulty of obtaining raw materials, imports would be carried out under the government to government (G2G) scheme.

The BUMN Ministry, said Arya, is targeting a number of countries such as China, India, Japan and France. However, he admitted that the government had limited shipments of raw materials from France because the country had implemented a policy of closing access in and out (lockdown).

Regarding mask production, Arya said that as a state-owned company PT Rajawali Nusantara Indonesia (RNI) will produce masks with a target of 2 million pieces this month.

"(Production) of the 2 million masks is all done by RNI, in collaboration with local manufacturers. So RNI orders to be fast," said Special Staff to the Minister of BUMN Arya Sinulingga via video conference with media crews, Wednesday, March 18.

The plan is that the masks produced by RNI will be sold by PT Kimia Farma (Persero) Tbk to the public. The state-owned pharmaceutical company has also allocated masks for local governments.

As is known, when President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) announced that Indonesia was positive for COVID-19, masks suddenly became a rare item when people needed them to prevent transmission of the virus. Not only that, the price even jumped sharply.

The government, through the Ministry of Trade, has also issued a ban on the export of masks until June 30, 2020. This decision is a precautionary measure to ensure that domestic mask stocks are sufficient. Apart from masks, the export ban also applies to antiseptic products, mask raw materials, and personal protective equipment.

The prohibition is contained in the Regulation of the Minister of Trade (Permendag) Number 23 of 2020 concerning the Temporary Prohibition of Exports of Antiseptics, Raw Materials for Masks, Personal Protective Equipment, and Masks.

An alternative to cloth masks

Arya admitted, several parties have proposed to the Ministry of BUMN to be able to make masks from cloth as an alternative to addressing the scarcity of masks in the market and the difficulty of raw materials for making masks.

"There was a proposal yesterday to make masks using cloth. We have lots of textiles," he said.

However, Arya said, the proposal had not been discussed further by the Ministry of BUMN. If the proposal is realized, the manufacture of cloth masks will not be limited to state-owned companies. He invited all parties to participate in producing cloth masks.