Secretary General of the Ministry of Industry of the Republic of Indonesia Dody Widodo said the textile industry still makes a big contribution to the economy in Indonesia. Now, the textile industry is starting to squirm after being hit by the pandemic. From the data, the sector's growth reached 12.5%. "This industry is still a mainstay because it is one of the backbones (of the economy) because it also absorbs a lot of manpower," he said at the ITT-STT-Polytechnic College of Textile Technology alumni gathering on Sunday (17/7). However, Dody did not deny that the textile industry is currently having many competitors in a number of countries. To increase competitiveness, he assessed that there was a need for cooperation between educational institutions and industry players to produce quality products and at competitive prices.
"So the world of education such as the STTT Polytechnic in Bandung should be a stepping stone in the future to enter the 4.0 era in the textile industry," he said. Dody is also optimistic that the textile industry can develop and compete by exporting to many countries. In the same location, the Director of the Textile, Leather and Footwear Industry of the Ministry of Industry, Elis Masitoh, said the textile industry had contributed 6.35% in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In nominal terms, the export value of this sector has managed to reach 13 billion US dollars with a total workforce of around 3.56 million in all industries. It is hoped that by 2030 the value of exports can increase to touch the figure of 30 US dollars. "Hopefully in 2030 the value of exports can rise to 20 billion US dollars and even 30 billion US dollars," She said. On the same occasion, Chairman of the ITT-STTT-Polytechnic STTT Grand Reunion Haris Sugondo said that his party would gather all Campus HR at the reunion event which was held on July 30, 2022. It is hoped that this moment can be used as an opportunity to exchange ideas among alumni in the development of the textile industry. Haris also invited all textile school alumni to attend the grand reunion. The plan is that the event will be attended by around 1,500 to 2,000 alumni or around 50 batches. "We must support the determination of the Ministry of Industry so that the textile industry can become the backbone of the Indonesian economy," he said.
