JAKARTA - Indonesian cultural heritage in the form of traditional wastra such as batik, ikat weaving, songket, and ATBM weaving (Not Machine Weaving Tool), has great potential to penetrate the global export market. Through the 2025 SME-IKM Trade Expo (UITE), Indonesian wastra sector MSME players are encouraged to rise and penetrate the international market more widely.
Chairman of the Indonesian Community International Fashion Art & UKM (KADIIFA), Prof. Dr. Anna Mariana, said that the recovery of the post-pandemic wastra industry requires collaboration between local craftsmen, the designer community, and government support.
"The 2025 SME-IKM Trade Expo is a strategic momentum to revive the enthusiasm of local wastra business actors so that they can regain control of the domestic market and penetrate exports," said Anna Mariana in Jakarta, Wednesday, May 28.
Traditional Wastra Needs Encouragement And Transformation
The COVID-19 pandemic has stopped promotional activities and wastra exhibitions for more than two years. The impact is very large starting from decreasing purchasing power to closing export access.
Demand fell by more than 90 percent. As a result, the production of the craftsmen also decreased drastically and many went out of business," explained Anna.
Anna emphasized the importance of the role of the government through the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Trade, and the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs to provide incentives and open wider market access.
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UITE 2025 Facilitation Of Indonesian Wastra Exports
Held at SME Tower Jakarta for two days (2728 May 2025), UITE 2025 was initiated by the Jakarta Chapter's Corporate Forum for CSR Development (CFCD) with the theme "UKM-IKM Entering the Global Market: Understanding Opportunities, Answering Export Challenges."
The main agenda in this expo includes:
Anna added that Indonesian wastra is not only culturally valuable, but also has high economic value. If developed through modern design, wastra can reach the international fashion market.
Wastra-based products have now penetrated various forms, ranging from clothing, bags, wallets, to home decorations. This approach is considered capable of attracting a wider market, especially the younger generation and the global market.
Government Commitment Encourages Wastra Exports
On the same occasion, the Director General of Small, Medium and Multifarious Industries (IKMA) of the Ministry of Industry, Reni Yanita, conveyed the government's commitment to continue to assist IKM players to advance to class and be ready to export.
"We fully support from upstream to downstream starting from production, certification, licensing, to digital export and marketing training. The goal is for Indonesian wastra to go global," said Reni.
With the synergy of the government, business actors, and the creative community, traditional Indonesian wastra is increasingly ready to compete in the global market. SMEs and SMEs in this sector are expected not only to survive, but also to be able to transform into main players in Indonesia's creative and export industries.
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