National texile industry aims for global top five

Jakarta, InfoPublik - Indonesian government prioritizes the development of five manufacturing sectors, including the textile and textile products (TPT) industry as pioneers in the road map for the application of the fourth industrial revolution. Such prioritization is expected to place national textile and apparel producers to be among the top five in the world by 2030.

"For the shoes and sport apparels industry, our production has exceeded China’s. In fact, in Brazil, it holds up to 80 percent market share," said Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto in his statement in Jakarta on Tuesday (9/4).

Airlangga is optimistic that domestic textile industry can be competitive in the global arena due to its high competitiveness, upstream-downstream integrated industrial structure, and the recognized quality of the products in the international market.

"Therefore, the government continues to spur the performance of textile industry. Moreover, this sector is classified as labor-intensive and export-oriented which contributes significantly to our economy," he said.

Several strategic measures have been prepared so that the national textile industry can enter the digital era. For example, for the next three to five years, Industry Ministry is focusing on boosting capabilities in the upstream sector to increase synthetic fiber production. Efforts are being made, including establishing cooperation or attracting investment in companies producing quality fiber.

"This also aims to reduce imports. Moreover, we also encourage the use of digital technologies such as 3D printing, automation, and internet of things. This transformation is believed to be able to optimize efficiency and productivity," he added.

He reckoned that along with economic growth and the shift in demand from basic clothing to functional clothing such as sportswear, the national textile industry also needs to build production capabilities and increase economies of scale in order to meet the demand for functional clothing in both domestic and foreign markets. (Reporter: Wawan Budiyanto, Translator: Erik Limantara)