The batik and batik products industry has proven resilient amid the global economic challenges of recent years. It is also classified as a labor-intensive industry that can employ up to 200,000 workers.
As part of its commitment to maintaining the resilience and growth of the national batik industry, the Ministry of Industry, through the Directorate General of Small, Medium and Miscellaneous Industries (Ditjen IKMA), together with Yayasan Batik Indonesia (YBI), regularly celebrates National Batik Day (HBN) with a series of activities.
“This year's National Batik Day celebration is themed ‘Proud to Wear Batik’ to encourage artisans, batik businesses and the general public to buy, wear and popularize batik more often, anywhere and anytime, in every activity,” the Director General of IKMA at Kemenperin, Reni Yanita, said in a statement in Jakarta on Saturday (28/9).
For this year's National Batik Day, Ditjen IKMA and YBI will hold the 2024 National Batik Day Exhibition on 2–6 October at Kota Kasablanka Mall, South Jakarta. Ditjen IKMA is providing free exhibition booths to curated SMIs selected since early September, as promotional access for batik and batik product SMIs.
At the event, batik lovers and the public can watch fashion shows, join a talk
show on sociopreneurship about Sustainable Batik Inclusivity, attend the launch of the book “Sustainable Batik: The Industry 4.0 Supply Chain”, and shop at a bazaar featuring authentic regional batik products from 45 small and medium industries. The highlight will be the Batik Fun Run and Walk on Sunday, 6 October 2024, to develop, popularize and preserve batik among the wider public.
The Ministry of Industry will also present the Batik Edition of the Industrial Festival as part of the series, with inspiring talk shows to introduce batik to the younger generation, who are hoped to inherit the tradition of love for this part of Indonesia's cultural wealth.
“From many applicants, 24 SMIs were selected for the Batik Day exhibition, facilitated by Ditjen IKMA to showcase their best products. Two new batik entrepreneurs mentored by Correctional Institutions will also enliven the exhibition. The selected participants represent nine provinces in Indonesia,” Reni explained.
As part of HBN 2024, Ditjen IKMA also provided assistance with the application for Geographical Indication (GI) protection for Batik Tulis Tenun Gedhog Tuban. Batik Tulis Tenun Gedhog Tuban was then designated as the icon of HBN 2024.
Batik Gedhog Tuban is regarded as a communal cultural heritage reflecting the acculturation of the culture of Tuban's coastal communities with Chinese culture, characterized by its Phoenix bird motif. The batik is still made using simple gedog looms, with cotton yarn spun from raw cotton.
Reni said Ditjen IKMA continues to actively promote the development of the batik industry through training and technical assistance because the sector has export market potential that can be maximized. Moreover, batik as clothing and accessories, crafts and home decor is increasingly a trend across various groups because it is ever more versatile.
“The export market potential for batik and batik products is quite promising, as seen from export value in 2023, which reached USD 17.5 million. In the first half of this year alone, it had already reached USD 9.45 million based on BPS calculations,” Reni said.
Developing the batik industry
Ditjen IKMA has developed the batik industry through various activities, such as producing the books “Getting to Know the Environmentally Friendly Batik Industry” and “Sustainable Batik: The Industry 4.0 Supply Chain”, fostering new entrepreneurs in prisons and Islamic boarding schools, applying enterprise resource planning (ERP) in the batik industry, restructuring machinery and/or equipment, promotion and exhibitions, and building and revitalizing batik centers in the regions.
The Industrial Center Directory published by Statistics Indonesia in 2020 shows there are 201 batik industry centers across 11 provinces. Central Java has the most, with 72 centers, followed by East Java with 62. The total number of batik businesses across all provinces is 5,946.
Ditjen IKMA will next hold an exhibition with business matching, along with Batikmark certification facilitation and a workshop on producing batik uniforms for Hajj pilgrims, planned for November 2024. The activities target batik SMIs that produce batik uniforms for Hajj pilgrims.
According to YBI Chair Gita Pratama Kartasasmita, HBN 2024 is special because it coincides with YBI's 30th anniversary. “YBI has been at work for 30 years. We hope we can always present the best and inspire, especially Indonesian batik players and lovers,” she said.
The educational exhibition for HBN will feature a modern installation in the form of a multimedia tunnel. Visitors can enjoy a new experience by entering an immersive experience showing animations of batik that have received Geographical Indication (GI) certificates, including Batik Nitik, Batik Besurek, Batik Complongan, Batik Sarung Pekalongan and Batik Lasem.
Source: Press Release of the Ministry of Industry of the Republic of Indonesia