VIVAnews - Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said the ministry would keep their eyes on imported batik print materials in order to protect the copyright and the markets of batik products in the country and overseas.
“The government will keep supervising foreign batik products to increase protection towards batik products in and out of the country,” the Minister said in Jakarta on Thursday, February 4.
According to her, batik exports will continue to rise due to the increasing popularity of batik in Indonesia and other countries.
“Batik could be used to endorse Indonesia’s brand image. Batik has been really well known in Africa after Nelson Mandela introduced it. The exports will keep escalating, but of course, the biggest markets are the locals,” Pangestu said.
Based on the data of Trade Ministry, Indonesia’s batik exports to several countries between 2004 and 2008 showed a positive trend despite a slump in 2005.
In 2004, the value of batik exports reached US$ 34.2 million and went down to US$ 12.43 million dollar in 2005. Batik exports climbed back up in 2006 to US$ 14.26 million, US$ 20.87 million in 2007, and US$ 32.27 million in 2008.
Batik exports from January to November 2009 were valued at US$ 17.35 million. Indonesian batik exports destination countries include United States, Belgium, France, England and Germany.
However, batik industry’s contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) is still relatively small, which is 9 percent per year. Regardless, Pangestu is confident that the number will rise to 10-11 percent within five years.
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Translated by: Nataya Ermanti
