Our handmade batik products are better than those from China and Malaysia because they had been printed. Therefore we don`t have to worry about imported batiks,"Jakarta (ANTARA News) - First Lady Ani Yudhoyono will attend a National Batik Day in Pekalongan, Central Java, on Monday.
The First Lady and here entourage, made up of Madame Herawati Boediono, United Indonesia Cabinet Wives Solidarity (SIKIB), Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik, and Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu left Gambir station by special train at 5 am Monday and was scheduled to arrive in Pekalongan at about 9.40 am.
National Batik Day is commemorated on every October 2 and this year it is centered at Jetayu square in Pekalongan, Central Java.
Besides attending the National Batik Day, the First Lady and entourage will also visit a batik exhibition, batik museum, and the Pesindon batik tourism village.
Last year, National Batik Day was marked with an international seminar and batik exhibition at the the Cultural Faculty of the University of Indonesia (UI) campus in Depok from October 4 to 8, 2010, opened by Industry Minister MS Hidayat at the time.
According to Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik, Indonesian batik products are better than those imported from China and Malaysia.
"Our handmade batik products are better than those from China and Malaysia because they had been printed. Therefore we don`t have to worry about imported batiks," Wacik said.
The culture and tourism minister noted that his office would continue to promote Indonesian handmade batik products other countries to make Indonesia best known as home of batiks.
"It is through an intensive promotion in other countries that Indonesian handmade batik products are more popular than the imported ones," the minister said.
Indonesians were asked to wear batiks on October 2, 2009 following UNESCO`s decision to add the traditional dyeing technique to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list. (*)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
