REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SUKABUMI - A commission VIII member of the House of Representatives or the DPR, Inggrid Maria Palopi Kansil has expressed her intention of promoting the Sukabumi batik in the Netherlands.

"An investor who happens to be my friends, offers his hand to promote Sukabumi batik in the Netherlands," she said here over the weekend.

According to her, she always wears traditional batik prints at formal, as well as the informal events in an effort to promote batik in Jakarta. Currently, the Sukabumi batik makers mostly comprised of small and medium-scale entrepreneurs, Kansil noted.

Cirebon batik

Meanwhile, some craftsmen in Ciwaringin in Cirebon district of West Java had continued to create traditional batik, in a bid to maintain the local culture. "The Cirebon batik, produced by craftsmen in the Ciwaringin district, was still made according to local customs," Warjono, one of the local batik craftsmen, said in Cirebon recently.

According to Warjono, consumers in Bandung and Jakarta were drawn to handmade Cirebon batik in Lasem motif, although the prices were quite high, compared with batik prints. Due to an increased demand for Batik, local craftsmen had been able to expand their business, he added. 

Ciwaringin batik is well-known because of its use of soft silks and natural dyes, rather than chemicals. Meanwhile, Casno, a batik trader operating in Cirebon, added, "Nowadays, customer’s enthusiasm on batik is increasing."

Besides Ciwaringin, the development of batik in Trusmi Village in the Plered sub-district had taken place rapidly. Visitors from different cities came to Trusmi to purchase handmade batik and batik prints, causing the number of batik traders to grow. Karmanto, a local batik craftsman, told reporters that the batik business had become more exciting as sales had continued to increase. 

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