Under the sun: Workers dry batik cloth in the traditional way.(Courtesy of Muchamad Ali Jufri)

Many Indonesians cannot distinguish genuine batik from textiles with batik motifs, a problem that has resulted in a stagnant batik industry despite government claims that sales of batik are growing rapidly at home and abroad.

This ignorance is not found exclusively among the masses.

The government failed to distinguish batik from textiles that feature batik motifs (batik printing), in a recent report about batik, even though batik researchers and industry players alike agree that the word batik refers exclusively to the traditional technique of drawing and dyeing cloth using wax. Batik motifs printed using modern machines do not constitute batik.

Since 2009, when UNESCO, declared the traditional technique of batik, both stamped (cap) and hand-drawn (tulis), as intangible Indonesian cultural heritage, batik has enjoyed rising popularity. The government encouraged citizens to wear batik every Oct. 2 and many office workers wear batik on Friday, as it is considered to be a day when staff are required to wear batik to work.

This alleged boom, however, has not led to significant growth in the market for genuine batik because consumers by-and-large are either unaware or do not care if they purchase batik or machine printed textiles, as long as they like the design.

The government has a lot of work to do concerning batik, explained William Kwan, a batik researcher, in an interview with The Jakarta Post. The last time an official survey on the batik industry was carried out was in 1929-1930, he said. Traditional motifs are not patented, small and medium industries get no protection, and poor labor conditions have not been addressed properly, he said.

“I urge the government to educate consumers instead of protecting the batik industry,” William said, explaining that a move to educate consumers would eventually lead to a better batik industry and ensure its survival amid fierce competition from machine-printed material.

The situation right now, in which consumers fail to comprehend the difference between genuine handmade batik and machine-print material, has resulted in a severely constrained batik industry.

Some consumers even consider “batik printing” to be better on the basis that the motifs appear perfect and the colors more vivid.

Consumers cannot discern good quality batik from that of low quality. Many people, William said, get cheated by merchants at craft bazaars, when purchasing online and or in traditional markets. They spend too much and end up taking home low-quality batik tulis.

“The industry does not have any reason to raise the quality standards,” he said.

Poor labor conditions have also led to an absence in batik skill regeneration. Many of the nation’s remaining batik artisans are elderly.

Muchamad Ali Jufry, the owner of Raveena Batik Garmenindo in Pekalongan, Central Java, said he was regularly forced to send new workers to train alongside older workers because they did not know how to make batik cap.

Jufry, who is also the head of the Central Java chapter of the Indonesian Handicraft Exporters and Producers Association (Asephi), said Pekalongan was home to about 1,300 small and medium batik enterprises. Pekalongan has the largest number batik enterprises in Indonesia, he said, Surakarta is second.

While he said that the industry was not yet at risk of collapse, significant growth consistently failed to materialize despite government claims to the contrary.

The government claimed that batik exports had reached US$32 million in 2008. The figure is said to have increased to $278 million in 2012 and last year the Industry Ministry announced that export figures had reached $159 million. The government does not provide detailed information surrounding batik exports, meaning that it remains unclear whether export figures relate to genuine batik or machine-printed textiles featuring batik motifs.

“I am sure it is textiles with batik motifs,” said Jufry, who exports batik sarongs to Thailand and Malaysia.

People want cheap batik, fashion designer Oscar Lawalata said. “I imagine how increasingly disheartened [real] batik makers must feel,” he said. “Why do we wear batik every Friday? Is it to support batik artisans or big textile factories,” he questioned.

The value of batik should not merely be economical, it should be emotional, said Oscar.

“We buy batik because we are proud, not because of the motifs but because we are proud to support the artisans who make genuine batik,” Oscar said.

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