National Batik Day is celebrated every October 2nd. Batik is a proud copyright of the Indonesian nation and must be maintained and has been recognized as a world heritage. Currently, the East Java Batik Association has been established. East Java batik motifs are not based on a set of rules, especially Madura batik which usually has a bold red line.
Batik is a cultural heritage of our ancestors that must continue to be developed and preserved. Batik exhibition events must continue to be held and alternate in each region so that they also become a promotional event for batik craftsmen. Usually, the obstacle for batik entrepreneurs besides the budget is promotion. By holding frequent batik exhibition events, batik marketing will be increasingly boosted.
These are some of the things conveyed by the Head of the Bank Indonesia (BI) Malang Representative Office, Dudi Herawadi on the sidelines of the dialogue event, fashion show, and batik product exhibition with the theme of Synergy in Strengthening East Java Batik Products in the South Central Region (Katesa) as Cultural Commodities and Regional Superior Products at the Atria Hotel Malang, Thursday (18/12).
This event was attended by batik craftsmen throughout the BI Malang working area, namely Malang City, Malang Regency, Batu City, Pasuruan Regency, Pasuruan City, Blitar Regency, Blitar City, Probolinggo Regency, and Probolinggo City. At this event, the Head of the BI Malang Representative Office provided equipment assistance to each batik craftsman amounting to Rp. 10 million.
"With this assistance, we hope that batik craftsmen can advance and develop further. Like a vitamin injection, if the vitamin is good, it will also produce good products. Likewise with this assistance, we will continue to encourage it so that batik can compete in the international market later," Dudi hoped.
Meanwhile, Malang Regent, Drs. H. Rendra Kresna, BcKU, SH, MM, MPM said that batik is not only a cultural product but also a livelihood for the community. From its history, batik originated from the palaces and those who made batik were the princesses of the palaces and only from the nobility. "Batik can now be made in every region. For example, Madura batik can be made by Javanese people," he explained.
According to the Golkar party politician, batik is difficult to recognize, and now it can be said that there is no term for regional batik but rather the term Indonesian batik. "We will continue to look for opportunities for batik to develop. Batik does not have to be taken seriously, you can do other activities while making it. Marketing is very varied, such as today's exhibition," he explained.
Separately, the Regional Secretary of Malang City, Ir. Cipto Wiyono, M.Si who at that time represented the Mayor of Malang because he was unable to attend said that batik in Malang was developing rapidly. Furthermore, according to him, UKM (Small and Medium Enterprises) in Malang City, especially batik, will be synergized with various programs at BI Malang. "We still don't know clearly about the economic programs, but in the future we will continue to intensify communication," he added.
At the end of the event, beautiful models displayed very exotic batik clothing. While in the dialogue session, speakers were present from the Head of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (UMKM) of the Cooperatives and UMKM Service of the East Java Provincial Government Drs. Ahmad Basuki, M.Si, Seftiyani Ken Atik (Batik Academic), Dwi Cahyono (Malang Cultural Figure), and Sendy Yusuf (Head of the West Java Batik Foundation). (say/yon)
