Trade Minister assures plastic raw material imports to arrive in mid-May

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Trade Minister Budi Santoso has assured that imports of the primary plastic pellet raw material, nafta, will arrive in mid-May 2026.

He explained that the arrival of this raw material is a follow-up to the needs of industry players who previously experienced supply limitations.

“Mid-May onwards, I’ll update again,” Budi said in Jakarta on Wednesday.

According to him, the government is continuously monitoring developments in raw material supplies to maintain the sustainability of plastic manufacturing sector production domestically.

The government previously also sought alternative supply sources from other countries to anticipate industry needs.

“From America (import origin). Then yesterday we looked for solutions from India and Africa, but the mid-May one is from America,” he stated.

Budi emphasised that the import policy is a step to maintain stability in the industrial supply chain while ensuring that national production activities are not disrupted.

He added that the Ministry of Trade will continue to provide updates on the realisation of imports and developments in plastic raw material supplies in the near future.

The government previously sought various alternative supplier countries for plastic raw materials to maintain supply and price stability domestically amid global supply chain pressures.

To date, the primary plastic pellet raw material, nafta, has mostly been supplied from the Middle East region. However, global conditions have made shipping longer and competition between countries to obtain the material increasingly tight.