JAKARTA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia's Ministry of Industry has been strengthening controls on imports of textiles and textile products to balance domestic supply and demand and protect local manufacturers, a ministry official said Monday.

A visitor watches the operation of a fabric cutting machine during INDO INTERTEX, a major textile and garment exhibition, at Jakarta International Expo, Jakarta, Indonesia, on March 21, 2024. (File photoL Xinhua)

Ministry spokesperson Febri Hendri Antoni Arif said the import controls were not intended to hinder businesses, but to ensure that imports correspond with domestic market needs.

He explained that if domestic demand for downstream textile products stood at 100 units while local manufacturers could supply 80, imports would only be needed to cover the remaining 20. Uncontrolled imports, he warned, could flood the domestic market and put pressure on local producers.

Arif said import control measures would be used to maintain the supply-demand balance and prevent excessive imports from burdening domestic manufacturers.