INDONESIA: Siti Faiza has been running Faiza’s Production House, a traditional women’s wear business in Solo, Central Java, since 2008.
Faiza began her entrepreneurial journey as a university student, designing and sewing garments at home. As her business grew, she enlisted the help of her neighbors to meet increasing demand. Today, Faiza’s Production House employs 12 tailors.
Despite her success, Faiza struggles to compete with cheaper imported garments, particularly from China. “I often see clothes online for as little as 40,000 rupiah ($2.65), which wouldn’t even cover my fabric costs. I always wonder how these prices are possible,” Faiza told Al Jazeera.
Indonesia’s government has acknowledged concerns from small business owners like Faiza, with Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan proposing tariffs of up to 200 percent on Chinese imports. Hasan cited the flood of Chinese goods, driven by the US-China trade war, as a threat to local businesses.
Faiza’s husband, Indrawan, fully supports the tariffs, stating, “I think we should reject imports entirely because they’re damaging local businesses. Indonesia already has a large local textile market, so why import?”
In June, thousands of workers in Jakarta protested against Chinese imports, prompting the government to consider tariffs as a measure to protect the country’s 64 million micro-, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
