Indonesia’s leathermakers call for lifting of raw materials import ban
Indonesia’s leather industry, plus several others, has called upon the government to lift its newly imposed ban on the import of raw materials.
Imposed on April 20, supposedly as a safeguard against foot and mouth disease (FMD), the ban prohibits the import of all leather raw materials including wet pickle, wet blue, crust, and even finished leather.
In a joint statement issued last week, a group of trade associations including the Association of Indonesian Footwear (Aprisindo), the Association of Indonesian Leather Tanning Industries (Apki) and Association of Indonesian Leather Handicraft (Askrakindo), said that ban had already started to affect the production capabilities of its members, who mostly rely on imported material.
"We urge the government to immediately revoke the policy," the statement said.
A similar ban, on imports from South Korea and Japan, was enforced last year over concerns about FMD, but was quickly lifted after strong protests from the leather trade.
Asprisindo's secretary-general, Djimanto, said that many footwear makers had already been forced to cut back on production because of the shortage of raw materials. "If the ban continues, many workers will have to be laid off. Buyers from the United States, Japan, and European countries have asked us about the impact of the ban on the delivery of the products they ordered," he said.
