Jakarta. Trade Minister Budi Santoso recently revealed that he was open to revising the controversial ministerial policy that had eased import curbs, but any regulatory changes would depend on the evaluations.

His predecessor Zulkifli Hasan -- who now serves as the food security chief minister -- previously inked the 2024 trade ministerial regulation aimed at facilitating the entry of foreign-made goods. Under regulation No. 8/2024, Indonesia no longer requires importers of commodities such as textiles to submit the so-called technical consideration document.

The easier entry for imports has sparked protests from local businesses who struggle to compete with cheaper, foreign-made goods. Speaking to reporters in Jakarta, Budi said that his ministry would “consistently evaluate any existing policies”, and the Permendag 8/2024 is no exception. He also claimed that his ministry had already engaged in talks with stakeholders, including businesses in the downstream sector.

“If the reviews suggest that we should make regulatory changes, then we will do so. We will continue these discussions. But any changes would depend on the evaluations,” Budi told the press on Monday.

He added: “Policies cannot be static. They are dynamic. We [the government] are open for discussions with the public and businesses. Let us review this policy together.”

The aforementioned import regulation often gets blamed for the massive layoffs in the Indonesian textile industry. The government reported that at least 42,863 Indonesians got laid off in 2024 as of the end of July. About 22,356 were in the processing industry, including textile, garment, and footwear. 2024 was also not a good year for the Indonesian textile industry. Sritex, a Sukoharjo-based textile giant and a company of 50,000 people, went bankrupt that year after failing to pay its debt. The Prabowo Subianto government had previously promised to save Sritex.

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