Indonesian batik exports to cross US$ 1bn next year

08 Oct '12

2 min read

The Government of Indonesia aims to exceed the one billion USD mark in batik exports during 2013, Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa, has said.

The Minister said the Government intends to earn higher recognition for batik in international market through several means like organizing expos in different countries, including those located in Africa.

The Government is trying to encourage local artisans and producers by making efforts to satisfy their soft loan requirements through channels like the Peoples Entrepreneurship Credit (KUR) with national banks, according to Mr. Hatta.

The Government is also encouraging private sector investors to invest in the batik industry, he said.

This year, around Rp 30 trillion or US$ 3.13 billion have been provided by way of KUR to domestic batik industries requiring soft loans. The sum has mainly been extended to several industries employing a large number of workers, including batik industry, as reported by kompas.com.

Speaking at inauguration of National Batik Week at Pekalongan in Central Java, the Minister urged the artisans and designers to save the batik culture of the country, while not allowing any other country to establish a claim on it.

He also stressed on transforming batik into a fashion trend, not just for the Indonesian market, but also abroad.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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