About 300,000 workers in the country's textile industry are facing layoffs this year due to the25 percent increase in production costs caused by recent hikes in fuel prices and electricity tariffs, the Indonesian Textile Association (API) was quoted by the Jakarta Post as saying Thursday.

"The layoffs of an estimated 300,000 workers will be worsened by another 200,000 workers from related small-scale industries, which will be unable to buy raw materials," API chairman Benny Soetrisno told members of the House of Representatives Commission VI on trade, industry and investment Wednesday.

Seventy-seven textile manufacturing plants in Java and Bali island had already shut down this year and laid off 20,000 of their workers, he said, adding that number had not included those fired from other related small-scale industries.

Source: Xinhua