Batik sale in the ASEAN market is promising and wide open as it has been officially recognized by UNESCO as one of Indonesia`s cultural heritage.With its promising market potential, Batam`s Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) of Riau Islands Province has asked entrepreneurs to promote batik and strive to increase the commodity`s sales in the ASEAN market.
"Batik has become a world heritage, and it goes without saying that entrepreneurs should promote it in the ASEAN market," Batam`s Kadin chairman Nada Faza Soraya said in Batam early this week. In late 2009, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officially recognized batik as an Indonesian cultural heritage.
Batik was considered not only as part of Indonesian cultural heritage but also recognized as a representation of humanity`s culture for its rich value and cultural inheritance.
Therefore Nada has encouraged the local entrepreneurs to intensively promote it in ASEAN market.
In a bid to promote it ASEAN market, Nada said batik entrepreneurs and artisans should try to compete with other businessmen from other countries.
"Our local batik entrepreneurs and designers need better knowledge and facilities to expand it into the ASEAN market and make it a world class commodity," Nada said.
Batam`s Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry will soon hold a batik trade seminar with speakers from the Trade Ministry and Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Nada expressed hope that the seminar would deepen and widen the insight of batik entrepreneurs and artisans on the batik marketing potentials in ASEAN countries.
Besides the seminar on batik trade, Batam`s Kadin in cooperation with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation and Indonesia Batik Foundation will hold another seminar by presenting Indonesian batik lover Asmoro and Singapore`s batik lover Jarkasih as speakers.
"The seminars will be held in October this year in connection with the designation of Batam city in Riau Islands Province as an ASEAN batik trade center," Nada said.
Batam has been designated as ASEAN batik trade center by the Trade Minister after it was agreed on during the ASEAN summit in Jakarta early in May 2011.
Meanwhile, Batam`s trade and industry, energy and mineral resources spokesman Ahmad Hijazi has said his parties have been developing contemporary batik with bright colors as typical souvenirs in their effort to support Batam as ASEAN batik trade center.
"It is because foreign tourists are interested so much in the contemporary batik with cotton material which is very suitable for hot area like in Batam," Ahmad said in Batam recently.
Due to its strategic location and sea border with several ASEAN countries, Batam has been determined as batik trade center in ASEAN to make Indonesian batik industry more prospective.
Therefore, Nada said that Kadin along with several other batik foundations would conduct batik education and its familiarization.
According to Nada, batik-related education was necessary for Indonesian community to know more about Indonesian cultural riches which have been recognized internationally.
"The Indonesian community need to know various kinds of batik motif after it has been internationally recognized," Nada said, adding that every detail of batik had the value of a decent life that has to be maintained.
According to her the color and motif of batik also reflects the regions in Indonesia because every region has its own typical motif.
"Batik is found all over Indonesia and every area in the country has its own motif of batik," she said.
Nada said the designation of Batam as ASEAN batik trade center was something extraordinary for the small but busy island with hundreds of multinational-owned factories and shopping centers as the gateway to the Riau Islands.
Located only 20km from Singapore and 25km from Johor in Malaysia, Batam is Indonesia`s equivalent to China`s Special Economic Zones (SEZs) - a place where the nation`s economic planners test new economic policies and ideas.
Batam island is an industrial hub with electronics factories, a large and growing ship repair industry and an even larger oil service sector.
"Our struggle to make Batam ASEAN batik trade center is finally realized and therefore all stake holders are expected to give more of their attention, especially to batik development from various areas across the country," Nada said.
She added that as ASEAN batik trade center, Batam would have a very strategic position for batik products and market that have to be worked out in an optimal way.
No wonder Batam city administration will include batik craft into the Medium-term Development Plan 2011-2016 to support Batam as ASEAN as well as national batik trade center.
"Batik is included into the Medium-term Development Plan 2011-2016 in our effort to support the designation of Batam as ASEAN and national batik trade center," Batam City Planning Board chief Wan Darussalam has said in Batam.
He said the local government fully supported the designation of Batan as ASEAN batik trade center during ASEAN summit in Jakarta early this month.
According Wan Darussalam, the medium-term development plan has been arranged by the city government and would be submitted to the Regional Legislative Assembly (DPRD) before the end of the year.
Meanwhile, Batam Mayor Ahmad Dahlan said the local government in cooperation with other batik companies outside the city would develop garment industry on Batam island to support ASEAN batik trade center.
Although Batam was not a batik-producing city, Ahmad Dahlam expressed optimism that ASEAN batik trade center would be successful because the local craftsmen have created a number of designs and motives of batik that have been registered at Industry Ministry for the copyright.
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