Indonesian First Lady visits batik center
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesian First Lady Ani Yudhoyono left Jakarta on Tuesday for Cirebon, West Java, to visit batik centers.
Along with cabinet members` spouses and senior editors of selected women`s magazines, the First Lady took a special train from Gambir station on Tuesday at 7 am.
All those accompanying the First Lady are required to wear batik dresses because they would attend an event to mark the preservation of batik as the nation`s cultural heritage.
West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan and Minister for Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik were among the top officials attending the occasion.
As part of the programs, the First Lady witnessed batik making , and visited the West Java Batik Foundation`s stall and Batik Trusmi village.
After that, Ani Yudhoyono and her entourage returned to Jakarta by the same train.
On the same day, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono made a one-day visit to Palembang, South Sumatra, to attend Indonesia`s Press Day.
Indonesian batik has been recognized by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage since October 2009.
Since then, the popularity of this Indonesians traditional textile tends to rise among Indonesians and foreigners.
Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu recently said batik could even enliven Indonesia`s brand image in the world.
According to the Trade Ministry, Indonesian batik exports in the 2004-2008 period showed a positive trend except in 2005.
Indonesia gained 34.2 million US dollars from its batik exports in 2004 but the amount declined to 12.43 million dollars in 2005.
The income steadily increased in 2006. In 2008, batik textiles contributed 32.27 million dollars to the country`s income.
Among the main markets of Indonesian batik are the United States, Belgium, France, the United Kingdom and Germany. (*)
COPYRIGHT © 2010 ANTARA
PubDate: 02/09/10 12:14
