TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Yogyakarta is threatened to lose its status as the World's Batik City it was awarded with in 2014 by the World Craft Council (WCC).
The regeneration of batik artisans in Yogyakarta is hampered by the lack of public interest to be batik makers. Regeneration is one of seven requirements for the city to keep its title as the World's Batik City.
"The title can only be kept for four years. If we do not do what it takes to keep it, we will lose it," said Zainal Arifin Hasoead, Yogyakarta's secretary general of the National Craft Council (Dekranasda), Wednesday, September 30.
The seven criteria are historical value, originality, preservation efforts through regeneration, economic value, eco-friendliness, having international reputation, and spreading.
The current number of batik makers recorded in the city's department of industry, trade and cooperatives is 441 people, including large and small producers.
"If necessary, Pak Jokowi must require his ministers to wear batik, not a suit, to motivate people to become batik makers," said Zainal.
Plenty of efforts are being made to boost the number of artisans. According to batik designer and entrepreneur Afif Syakur, there needs to be a wage increase that is equivalent to the county/city minimum wage.
Yogyakarta's head of education department Baskara Aji, who also serves as acting chief of the city's department of industry, trade and cooperative, has required schools to include batik-making as an extracurricular activity.
There are also schools that have batik-making a curriculum, and schools that mandate their students to wear homemade batik.
"A total of 400 teachers have also been given batik courses," said Baskara.
Today, the turnover for batik textile export is worth US$36.53 million, while the export value of batik clothing reaches US$ 11 million.
PITO AGUSTIN RUDIANA