The Indonesian Textile Association (API) welcomes the government's plan to monitor border imports as a means of implementing a limited ban (lartas). The government plans to change the goods traffic system from post border (outside the customs area) to border control for certain products in order to provide protection from attacks on imported products. Other finished textile products are also among the products whose technical requirements and standardization have been tightened. API General Chair Jemmy Kartiwa Sastraatmadja said that his party hopes that the government's plan can become part of a trade barrier that can protect Small and Medium Industries and bring impacts from downstream to upstream.

"It is hoped that this regulation can improve utilization in the industrial sector and we hope that this regulation can be issued soon," said Jemmy, Friday (13/10/2023).

He also believes that regulations are needed that can protect the Indonesian market from invasion by imported products. One thing the government can do is return the post border regulations to border.

Director of Trade Through Electronic Systems and Trade Services at the Ministry of Trade, Rifan Ardianto, previously said that changes to the goods traffic system are one of the government's efforts to ensure that imported products do not easily enter Indonesia.

"By having supervision at the border, it is an effort to ensure that [imported] goods do not enter [directly] into the Indonesian market, and we must be able to comprehensively monitor compliance with standards and lists," he said.

Meanwhile, Plt. Director General of the Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Textile Industry (IKFT) of the Ministry of Industry, Taufiek Bawazier, said that his party would implement changes to the import control regulations from Post Border to Border as a 'shield' from the flood of foreign products in the domestic market.

On the other hand, the upstream and intermediate textile industry still requires imports to meet domestic supplies of raw materials, although on the downstream side imports of finished goods must be limited to maintain the competitiveness of local products.

Meanwhile, the barrier in question is border control by Customs officers in the customs area. So, before imported goods enter and expand in the domestic market, there will be a number of instruments such as Import Approvals (PI) and Surveyor Reports (LS).

"Whether the product is the same or not, what type it is, the volume is all limited. So, the context here is volume. If previously it was post border and there were no barrier instruments, that means the volume was free," he said.