Indonesia’s garment, textile exports set to reach 14 billion USD this year

Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita. (Photo: ANTARA/VNA

Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia’s textile and garment industry will expand its markets to meet the export target of 13-14 billion USD this year, according to the country’s Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita.

The textile industry continues to give a good performance, mostly driven by the rapid growth of sales through e-commerce platforms as well as consumer awareness of the sustainability principle, which is in line with the commitment to reduce carbon and water consumption in the production process, Kartasasmita said in a statement.

On the commodity side, the principle of sustainability is also being encouraged through the use of environmentally friendly raw materials and the application of the circular economy principle, the official added.

"The existence of Making Indonesia 4.0 will encourage the transformation of the textile industry to make it more competitive and innovate in an effort to compete and answer global market demands," the minister was quoted by Antara news agency as saying.

To accelerate the implementation of the Fourth Industry Revolution, the textile industry is expected to utilise several key technologies to beat the global competition, including artificial intelligence, novel fabrics, Internet of Things (IoT), rapid data analysis for quick adaptation, mobile commerce, virtual and augmented reality (VR), online vector editors, 3D printing, blockchain technology, and sustainable practices.

The Industry Ministry has initiated a strategic step in the form of a 35% import substitution programme in 2022 to encourage the increased utilisation of existing industries, as well as boost investment in Indonesia. It is also carrying out a machine and equipment restructuring programme in the fabric refinement and fabric printing industries.

According to Kartasasmita, this effort has been proven to increase production capacity, production realisation and energy efficiency by 21.75%, 21.22% and 11.86% respectively, as well as raise sales volume, both domestically and via export, by 6.65%./.