The public has to realize that the use of domestic products is an admirable and patriotic act.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Industry Ministry has said it is aiming to substitute 35 percent of imported products by 2022 to reduce import dependence and strengthen domestic industries.

"We will prioritize industries that have large import value -- machinery, chemicals, metals, electronics, food, electrical equipment, textiles, vehicles, as well as rubber," Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said in a statement on 'Reflection of the 76th Indonesian Independence Day to build an independent, sovereign, advanced, equitable, and inclusive domestic industry', issued here on Tuesday.

The government will suppress imports to encourage the production of and investment into substitute goods by local manufacturers, he informed.

Furthermore, the ministry has also imposed the 40-percent local content requirement (TKDN) to optimize the utilization of domestic products and maintain the sustainability of the domestic industry, he added.

These strategies are expected to push local producers to improve the quality of their products so they are equipped to face global competition, the minister explained. Otherwise, imports will be uncontrolled and domestic industries will never be able to develop, he noted.

Therefore, the government will also continue to encourage local business actors to carry out domestic business transformation.

Business players need to transform from traders to industrial actors and change their import-oriented focus to production-oriented to check the import-dependency culture, Kartasasmita emphasized.

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Moreover, the government is also concerned with the impact of globalization and technological advances that have created a consumptive culture and allowed wide public access to imported products, he said.

Hence, the government will continue to empower the community of entrepreneurs to get involved in the manufacturing sector through their own small industries, he informed.

Several campaigns have been conducted as part of the Proud of Indonesian Product National Movement to strengthen people's pride and love for domestic products.

"The public has to realize that the use of domestic products is an admirable and patriotic act," he remarked.

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Translator: Sella Gareta, Uyu Liman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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