DPR Commission VII backs increased budget and powers for BSN

TANGERANG (ANTARA) – DPR Commission VII supports increased budget and powers for the National Standardization Agency (BSN) to strengthen oversight and enhance product standardisation capacity in Indonesia.

“BSN’s budget constraints have led to insufficient testing equipment and weak field supervision. Therefore, we will push for increased funding so they can purchase new and modern equipment,” said Commission VII Chair Saleh Partaonan Daulay during a working visit to BSN in South Tangerang on Monday.

He stated that the DPR also urges BSN to gain greater authority, including in independently determining mandatory National Standards (SNI). He noted that standard-setting authority is currently scattered across various technical ministries, such as the Ministry of Industry and others. “We want stronger inter-agency coordination to ensure effective national standardisation,” he said.

Acting Head of BSN, Yustinus Kristianto Widiwardono, said BSN is ready to support discussions with all stakeholders, including conformity assessment bodies, academics, ministries, and business actors. “We welcome this special committee to ensure standardisation and conformity assessment can optimally support national development,” Yustinus said.

BSN revealed that the number of products with SNI remains small compared to the total products circulating in Indonesia. Of tens of thousands of product types, approximately 18.5% have SNI. Currently, there are around 10,000 active SNI standards, though not all directly relate to product specifications as some are testing standards and terminology.

BSN cited low business awareness as a barrier to SNI implementation, particularly for voluntary standards. Additionally, BSN acknowledged budget constraints due to government spending efficiency. Its PNBP revenue is currently around Rp44 billion, mostly used for operations. “Testing equipment needs could reach hundreds of billions of rupiah due to high costs,” BSN said.

BSN hopes the DPR working committee will recommend increasing mandatory SNI for products related to safety, health, and the environment.