Rizal TanzilRakhman, Former Secretary General, Indonesian Textile Association (API), has emphasised on the urgent need for the government to revise Trade Minister Regulation No 8. of 2024,concerning import policies. The government needs to listen to stakeholders, and implement necessary changes, stated Rizal, who also serves as an executive at the textile nonprofit RantaiTekstil Lestari (RTL).

If the government fails to take action, the textile industry may suffer further, leading to mass layouts, warned Rizal. By facilitating textile imports, the Regulation 8/2024 may damage the domestic textile industry leading to an influx of imported garments, reducing capacity utilisation in the local textile industry and either delaying or cancellation orders in small and medium industries.

Around 20 per cent of the small and medium size industries in Bandung, West Java have already shut down due to the relaxation in import regulations, rues Nandi Herdiaman, Chairman, Bandung Garment Entrepreneurs Association (IPKB). A failure to revise the regulation may lead to a rise in unemployment rates in Indonesia, causing great sufferings to the garment sector in the country, adds Herdiaman.