The Indonesian Filament Fiber and Yarn Producers Association (Apsyfi) is urging the government to immediately implement a port-to-port manifest system to curb rampant smuggling and mis-declaration practices that have been detrimental to the national textile industry. This system relies on original export documents from the country of origin as the basis for import inspections, instead of the inland manifest or import notification (PIB) prepared by the importer.
Apsyfi Chairperson, Redma Gita Wirawasta, explained that the use of PIB as the primary document for importing goods makes import data highly vulnerable to manipulation. With the current self-declaration system, the opportunity for document falsification and mis-declaration is very high and occurs frequently. This condition is reflected in the large discrepancy between export data from partner countries and Indonesian import data in 2024. Apsyfi recorded the value of unrecorded imports reaching US$24.10 billion, while the value for textiles and textile products alone reached approximately US$2 billion.
Redma explained that many countries have implemented an import document system that is directly sourced from the original export documents. These documents are sent electronically from the port of origin to the port of destination upon ship departure, automatically becoming valid import documents and cannot be altered by the importer. This method eliminates any potential for manipulation.
In addition to improving the document system, Apsyfi has requested that Customs and Excise strengthen physical supervision at ports by implementing comprehensive container scanning. Redma stated that in several countries, all containers are scanned without exception. If the scan results do not match the documents, the container is immediately transferred to the red lane for manual opening and inspection. He believes the oversight system in Indonesia remains weak because containers entering the green lane can pass through without inspection, and the route determination relies on profiling, which has the potential for abuse.
The Chairman of the Konveksi Berkarya Entrepreneurs Association (IPKB), Nandi Herdiaman, also highlighted a similar issue related to the practice of bulk imports that often directly enter the green lane. He questioned the basis for determining the risk for such importers, which he considered odd. He stated that bulk importers only pay around IDR 150 million per container without calculating the actual taxes and import duties. In fact, a 40-foot container of ready-made garments is worth approximately IDR 2.4 billion, so the import duties and taxes paid should reach IDR 1 billion, or at least IDR 450 million for goods from trading partner countries.
Nandi emphasized his full support for Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa in eradicating customs violations that have occurred for years. He stated that these illegal import practices have depressed many garment entrepreneurs and workers. He believes the government's decisive action provides new hope for the revival of the domestic garment and textile industry.