Trade Minister confident in national textile ecosystem's strength against global challenges

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Trade Minister Budi Santoso has expressed optimism that the national textile ecosystem is resilient in facing various global challenges resulting from the current geopolitical situation. “The ecosystem in Indonesia is good, from raw materials to downstream, so we can compete. We are not too worried about foreign products,” the Trade Minister said in Jakarta on Thursday. He made this statement in response to concerns about domestic textile production constraints and the potential influx of imported textile products following the impact of the recent Iran-US-Israel war. The Trade Minister also acknowledged that the currently more volatile energy commodity prices significantly affect the sustainability of production in various industrial sectors, including domestic textiles. However, he believes that national textile industry players are resilient because they are supported by a complete ecosystem, from raw materials, factories, distribution, designers, to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in this sector. “Oil prices are rising now. So, it’s reasonable (to impact the textile industry), but this is a global crisis. Everyone (is affected), not just Indonesia. Everyone is impacted by this Middle East war. But when everyone is affected, we are ready to compete,” he added. In addition, Budi stated that domestic market demand for the textile sector remains high. “So, no need to worry, the industry keeps running, the domestic market is already very large,” he said. This sector throughout 2025 showed positive growth of 3.55 per cent year-on-year (yoy) and generated export value reaching $12.08 billion and a surplus of $3.45 billion. “So, besides domestic potential, exports are quite good. The quality is quite good. If the quality is good and competitive, we can control imports,” Budi said.