Batik Producers Confident of Competing with China

Tempo Interactive, Monday, 11 January, 2010 | 14:18 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Cirebon: Batik craftsmen in Cirebon, West Java, are confident they can compete with China following the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) implementation.

Katura, the owner of the Batik Katura showroom at the Trusmi Batik Center in Cirebon, said batik is a textile product rich in cultural values and not all countries can produce batik, which is part of the national culture.

Katura admitted that many batik-patterned fabrics are currently coming from China. However, “Those are just print fabrics without any artistic values,” he said.

A similar view came from batik craftsman, Edi Baridi, who also owns Batik EB showroom at Trusmi Batik Center. “We are optimistic that we can compete with China,” he said.

IVANSYAH