Foreign Batik Can’t Outdo Kelantan’s Batik

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - "You are going to Kelantan aren’t you, so don’t forget to buy the beautiful and cheap batik available there."

Request like this is often heard when family members, relatives or friends indicate that they will be making a visit to Kelantan.

Batik is synonymous with Kelantan, other than the tantalising fare like laksam, nasi dagang, nasi kerabu and other kuih that are unique to the state.

Moreover, batik making is an ubiquitous trade in the state that offers a myriad of designs and colours that are hard to find anywhere else.

For those who cannot make it to the batik factories, a casual walk along the rows of stalls in Pasar Siti Khadijah will help them to sample the numerous type of Kelantan batik available that suits different budgets.

However, nowadays batik from other countries that is much cheaper is also easily available there. The cheap batik from Thailand, Korea and China seems to flood the local market and some fear Kelantan’s batik which is costlier will lose out to the competition.

Batik Kelantan is Still the Choice

Admitting that foreign batik is flooding the market, Kraftangan Malaysia’s Director for Kelantan Khamis Yasim however noted that the Kelantan Batik still stands out and is the choice for many.

"We cannot stop foreign batik from entering the country but what we can do is that help to further strengthen the Kelantan Batik’s market position through promotion," he told Bernama recently.

He said at present 245 batik entrepreneurs were active in the trade and based on the available records the batik industry represents 80 per cent of the sales of traditional crafts.

"Based on the promotions carried out by Kraftangan Malaysia in Kelantan, craft sales in the state recorded an increase where in 2008 the sales figure amounted to RM5,625,088 while in 2009 the figure rose to RM6,009,366 with batik being the biggest contributor," he said.

This points to the fact the batik from outside has failed to dampen the batik industry in Kelantan.

Kelantan Batik’s Originality

One must not forget that the Kelantan batik has its own forte over its competitors from outside - the quality that is emphasised by every batik entrepreneur in Kelantan.

Khamis added that the competition from foreign batik had to be countered by improving further and maintaining the quality of Kelantan’s batik to give it a distinct advantage over the batik from Thailand, Korea and China.

"As for example, the batik entrepreneurs in Kelantan highly emphasise the choice of design, motive, cloth and colour in maintaining the quality ...Moreover, there are no two same design.

"The batik from Thailand, Korea and China are different and come in uniform designs, often the fabric used is polyester that is uncomfortable to use and that is why it is cheap," he said.

Assisting Kelantan’s Batik Enterpreneurs

As for Kraftangan Malaysia, numerous steps have been taken to assist batik entrepreneurs to improve their income and establish their trade within and without the country.

According to Faizul Azha Ibrahim, Kraftangan Malaysia’s Deputy Director for Kelantan and the head of the state craft entrepreneur development division, craft industry entrepreneurs in the state were given assistance through word of advice, motivation, promotion and the business courses held periodically.

"The assistance is not only for batik but for the whole craft industry, Kraftangan Malaysia for example assists through entrepreneur development programme, incubator scheme, handicraft services scheme or the One District One Industry (SDSI) programme where each district has its own product to highlight.

"In Kelantan alone there are eight projects under SDSI like Kota Baharu focusing on batik while Tumpat on metal/silver handicraft and Pasir Mas in rotan weaving...while the handicraft producers’ association Karyawan Malaysia also lends a helping hand by providing facilities and the opportunity to participate in promotional events including in the 2010 Textile Craft event from 13 to 25 Oct," he said.

Source: http://www.bernama.com
Photo: http://travelkelantanguide.wordpress.com

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