The flood of illegally imported textile products in Indonesia has prompted entrepreneurs to urge the government to take firm action against the perpetrators involved. Deputy Secretary of the Indonesian Employers' Association (Apindo) Solo, Sri Saptono Basuki, said that this condition was also exacerbated by the proliferation of branded used clothing shops in the campus area as well as thrifting festivals which were regularly held in conjunction with music concerts in Solo. “Enforcement of the rules is clearly not optimal. If every product we bought could clearly trace its origin, it would certainly have a positive impact on the economic chain. If not, you will be subject to greater taxes. "If it's like this, the MSME and informal cycle will be facilitated," explained Basuki when asked about illegal textile imports into Indonesia, Saturday (16/9/2023).
He urged the Indonesian government to firmly enforce regulations that protect domestic textiles. According to him, Indonesian textiles are well industrialized and have great potential to contribute jobs to society.
According to Basuki, the Indonesian textile industry is structured and has a strong foundation. Indonesia currently has a raw material yarn industry, yarn and fabric manufacturing, a fabric refinement industry, and a garment industry.
Basuki emphasized that not all countries in the world have textile industrialization as strong as Indonesia, with employment reaching 7.5 million workers throughout Indonesia. Realizing that Indonesia will soon face a general election, Basuki hopes that future governments will learn better from the achievements that have been made, so that state governance can be sustainable.
Deputy Chair of the Indonesian Textile Association (API) Central Java, Liliek Setiawan, said that Indonesian textiles were suffering from the onslaught of imported products. “I can say that we are down, yes, we are down. Imagine how easy it was for illegal textile imports to enter Indonesia, it should have been stopped and there would be no more things like that, why are they still there? "Strict action should have been taken," said Liliek, Saturday.
According to him, so far law enforcement has not yet realized the legal basis for textile protection. Liliek views illegal imports and the flood of thrift festivals in various regions as a form of low enforcement of the applicable laws.
Liliek continued, the next challenge for textile entrepreneurs is the limited space for innovation towards environmentally friendly textile products. He said that the use of solar panels was being planned as an energy source in several textile factories in Central Java. However, this has not been possible.
Illegal textile imports not only come from China, but also from Vietnam. Liliek hopes that Indonesia incorporation can truly be realized so that sustainable development can be fully implemented and not just a report on paper.
