The number of women involved in batik fashion and trade is more than double that of women involved in the batik industry
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Batik has recorded a high and stable growth despite the pandemic, Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection, Bintang Puspayoga, has said.

"No wonder batik is recognized by UNESCO as a masterpiece of intangible cultural heritage," Puspayoga remarked at a webinar on 'The Beauty of Batik as Cultural Heritage in Women's Hands', originating from here on Monday.

Puspayoga cited data from the Ministry of Industry that has revealed that the net value of batik exports was US$21.5 million in 2020, an increase from US$18 million in 2019.

"For us in Indonesia, batik is not just a product of fabric painting. It is also a warm expression of our cultural and spiritual well-being," the minister explained.

For Indonesian people, creating and wearing batik signifies immersing oneself in the nation's identity, cultural, and spiritual heritage, she added.

Batik is closely related to women and fashion as it is also a big part of the creative industry, she noted.

Indonesia has strived for the progress of the creative industry, including batik as a potential contributor to the nation's economic recovery, she said.

The creative industry is believed to make a major contribution to the national economy, she stressed.

"It yielded Rp1,100 trillion, which added 7.4 percent to the national GDP (gross domestic product)," she expounded.

The creative industry has absorbed 14.3 percent of the total labor force and has increased total exports by 13.8 percent, Puspayoga said.

After the culinary sub-sector, fashion is the second-largest sub-sector of the creative industry and accounts for about 18.2 percent of the industry's total net value, she observed.

According to the minister, there are currently about 47 thousand batik business units spread across 101 batik centers that employ more than 200 thousand women batik makers.

"The number of women involved in batik fashion and trade is more than double that of women involved in the batik industry," she added.

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Translator: Anita D, Kenzu T
Editor: Sri Haryati
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