The proposal for the implementation of safeguards for garment products that was intensely discussed was said to have entered the decision-making stage.The Ministry of Trade said that policy support for the garment industry is needed in the midst of economic conditions that are still in the recovery stage.

The proposal for the implementation of safeguards for garment products that was intensely discussed was said to have entered the decision-making stage.

"The business actor's proposal for safeguards has been submitted to the KPPI [Indonesian Trade Safeguard Committee] and is being processed, it has even entered the stage of a decision being discussed through the National Interests Advisory Team," said the Head of the Trade Assessment and Development Agency (BP3) of the Ministry of Trade, Oke Nurwan.

Oke explained that the National Interests Advisory Team (PKN) will consider all aspects of making decisions, including aspects of domestic industrial protection to aspects of national economic conditions.

"Of course, the implementation of safeguards must be right on target. Which industries should be protected without disturbing investors who have invested in Indonesia, ”he continued.

Separately, the Head of the Ministry of Trade's Center for Foreign Trade Studies Nurlaila Nur Muhammad said cloth became a textile commodity and textile products (TPT) which dominated Indonesia's imports with a percentage of 61.52 percent of the total US $ 6.98 billion of TPT that entered in 2020.

He stated that the import trend during 2016 to 2020 actually shows a decrease of 2.42 percent per year on average.

However, a number of products still showed an upward trend, including thread by 0.38 percent and apparel, which increased by 13.15 percent on average each year.