The Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) has announced the export of domestic textile fabric products to Dubai, with PT Mahugi Jaya Sejahtera securing a transaction valued at $350,000, equivalent to Rp. 5.61 billion at an exchange rate of Rp. 16,017 per US dollar.

Taufiek Bawazier, Acting Director General of Chemical, Pharmaceutical, and Textile Industries (IKFT), Ministry of Industry, expressed his appreciation for PT Mahugi Jaya Sejahtera's efforts in entering the Dubai market and other parts of the Middle East. Bawazier noted that this export signifies an annual sales commitment of 5 million meters from the company and helps open Indonesia's non-traditional markets in the central eastern region.

He further explained that the garment and textile markets in the Middle East are expected to grow significantly over the next five years, with an annual growth projection of 7 per cent and a market value of $89 billion. Currently, Indonesia’s export share of textiles an\d clothing to this region stands at only 5.4 per cent of the total textile and textile product exports (TPT), amounting to $753 million, and just 1.5 per cent of the market share.

This figure is significantly lower compared to China and India, which hold market shares of 38.3 per cent and 21.4 per cent, respectively. Bawazier emphasised that the exports by the West Java-based company could pave the way for increasing exports of domestic textile products.

Previously, the Ministry of Industry reported that the textile and finished clothing industry experienced substantial growth in the first quarter of 2024, with the Y-o-Y values rising by 5.90 per cent and 2.64 per cent, respectively, driven by high export demand. This growth also contributed to the processing industry's increased contribution to economic growth, which reached 19.28 per cent (Y-o-Y), up from 18.57 per cent Y-o-Y in the same period in 2023.