The textile industry was positively impacted by demand during Ramadan and ahead of this year's Eid. The Ministry of Industry predicts growth of 3.5 percent in the first semester of 2022. However, business actors ask the government to defend this demand from attacks by illegally imported products. General Chairperson of the Fiber and Filament Yarn Producers Association (APSyFI) Redma Gita Wirawasta said that the demand for textile products ahead of Idul Fitri is estimated to soar up to 70 percent from the previous month. "So, the current position of the goods is in retail. We estimate that retail demand will increase by 60–70 percent from the previous month,” he said.
Redma explained, the request helped boost the utilization of the domestic textile industry. Especially the upstream side. "On the upstream side, from February to March there has been a 20–15 percent increase in utilization," he added.
Redma hopes that the momentum of increasing demand will not be disrupted by the onslaught of imported products entering the marketplace. "There are concerns from the industry when it has produced from upstream to downstream. Then, downstream has been selling. What happened was that local products were brushed off by illegally imported goods,'' he explained.
According to Redma, his party has sent a letter to the Minister of Trade (Mendag) Muhammad Lutfi and the Minister of Industry (Menperin) Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita to pay attention to this matter. "We ask for discipline and strict action. Both the pelapak and online platforms that facilitate the sale of illegal goods," he said.
Chairman of the Indonesian Textile Association (API) Jemmy Kartiwa Sastraatmaja added that demand for the textile industry increased 30 percent in Ramadan 2022 compared to last year. “The increase mainly occurred in the apparel sector. Both industrial scale and small and medium industries (IKM)," he said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Industry projects the textile and textile product (TPT) industry to grow 3.5 percent in the first semester of 2022, driven by the Eid and the opening of homecoming.
The Director of Textiles, Leather and Footwear at the Ministry of Industry, Elis Masitoh, said that after Lebaran, TPT also had the opportunity to continue its growth with the new academic year and the start of 100 percent face-to-face learning activities.
"Looking at the increasing export conditions, the start of community activities and the moment of preparation for Eid, our growth projection is 3.5 percent until the second quarter of 2022," he said.
Throughout last year, the textile and apparel industry recorded a contraction of 4.08 percent year-on-year (YoY). However, in the fourth quarter of 2021, the sector's performance has been controlled with growth of 5.94 percent.
