JAKARTA, June 25 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government said Tuesday that it would issue two protection policies, namely Safeguard Measures Import Duty (BMTP) and Anti-Dumping Import Duty (BMAD), for textiles and textile products as an effort to protect the local industry from surging imported textiles.
The BMTP is a state levy to prevent the threat of serious losses suffered by the domestic industry as a result of a surge in the number of imported goods that directly compete with the domestic products. Meanwhile, the BMAD will be an additional import duty.
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati revealed that a protection policy for the textile and textile products industry from the invasion of imported goods will be issued. Provided that there is already an order or the results of discussions conducted by the Minister of Industry and the Minister of Trade.
"Both regulations will be issued once we get instructions from the Minister of Trade and the Minister of Industry," Indrawati said after a cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta.
On the same occasion, Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan said that President Joko Widodo had agreed to release the policies to protect local industries.
"We have agreed that there will be more instruments (duties) imposed on the imports of textiles and apparels, as well as electronics, footwear and ceramics. Hopefully tomorrow it will be completed, then the day after tomorrow the imposition of the two import duties can be kicked off," Hasan said.
The Indonesia Statistics reported that the import value of clothing and accessories, both knitted and non-knitted, had shown an increasing trend during the first quarter of this year. In January, the import value was recorded at 12.26 million U.S. dollars, then it increased to 20.87 million dollars the next month. The value rose again in March to 23.98 million dollars. ■
