Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita underscored that the domestic batik industry has huge potential to expand coverage of the export market and increase its contribution to foreign exchange.
He noted that the batik industry's export value of USD8.33 million in the second quarter of 2024 had yet to be optimal.
"There are still many opportunities that we can take advantage of to fill the export markets of national batik," the minister remarked at the National Batik Day commemoration event in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Kartasasmita noted that his ministry had encouraged the advancement of national batik exports through various programs involving stakeholders, including the National Batik Day commemoration event in collaboration with the Indonesian Batik Foundation.
Some of the efforts made are new entrepreneur development, Geographical Indication facilitation, technical assistance for production, and facilitation of machinery and equipment.
"Last year, we provided Geographical Indication facilitation to Indramayu's Complongan Batik and raised it as the theme of the 2023 National Batik Exhibition. Thank God, the impact on the local community was quite significant," he remarked.
The minister further highlighted that one of the efforts to promote Indonesia's batik to the global market is utilizing it in state official and daily activities.
Kartasasmita explained that in the initial step, his ministry has set the policy of necessitating its workers to wear batik for four working days a week.
The Ministry of Industry recorded that the domestic batik industry has absorbed 200 thousand workers until August 2024, spread across 201 industrial centers and 5,946 small and medium industries in 11 provinces.
