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Industry Ministry sets up woven fabric SMEs center in West Sumatra

News Desk (The Jakarta Post)
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Thu, May 10, 2018

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Industry Ministry sets up woven fabric SMEs center in West Sumatra Weavers show off their skills while working on manual looms in Bandar Kidul subdistrict, Kediri, East Java. (JP/Nedi Putra AW)

T

he regency of Tanah Datar, West Sumatra, together with the Industry Ministry, has established a small and medium enterprises (SMEs) center in Lintau Buo village, which will be dedicated to the development of the woven textile industry in the region.

As reported by antara, the ministry’s director general for SMEs, Gati Wibawaningsih, said on Tuesday it was encouraging woven fabric makers to increase the value of their products in terms of design, motifs and quality.

She delivered the statement while accompanying National Handicraft Council (Dekranas) chairwoman Mufidah Kalla, who is also Vice President Jusuf Kalla’s wife, to the launch of the SMEs center in Lintau Buo village.

The center is expected to conduct strategic programs that will improve human resources competency, production, research and promotion.

Gati said woven textile was perceived to be a lucrative business and highly favored by many, just like the traditional woven songket fabric with its variety of motifs.

“Hopefully this center can encourage woven fabric makers in Lintau Buo to create products that are trendy and suitable to customers’ taste,” she added.

Read also: Weaving to preserve heritage, make ends meet

The ministry noted that there were 369 woven textile-focused SMEs centers spread across Indonesia, with 16,971 business units under its supervision.

The archipelago’s woven textile industry is developing in many regions, and will hopefully help with the equitable distribution of income across the nation.

Woven textiles also contribute to foreign exchange, reaching US$2.6 million in 2016, with the Netherlands being the main importer.

“We’re striving to improve the performance of the nation’s woven textile industry so that its products can compete on the open market. Moreover, we are also protecting the local market,” explained Gati.

Last year, the ministry handed over two jacquard manual weaving looms, a woven textile motif card perforator and a winding machine to the Tanah Datar regency to be used at the center in Lintau Buo village.

“Apart from providing production tools, the Industry Ministry also assigned a woven textile expert to help the weavers. This is to improve their skills and the quality of their product,” she said.

A production house -- which is equipped with a dyeing room, a waste water management installation and rooms for design-making and warping -- was provided by the ministry.

“This woven textile SMEs center is set to become an edutourism attraction for both local and foreign tourists,” said Gati. (mut)

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