The Ministry of Industry assesses that the handicraft and batik industry is one of the sectors capable of adapting and innovating in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic so that it can survive.

This sector is even considered capable of supporting the national economic recovery (PEN), especially in the small and medium industrial sector (IKM).

Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said that his party encourages batik IKM players in the country to continue to be able to make products according to market preferences and quickly diversify their products. The goal is to spur the sustainability of their businesses in the midst of the impact of the pandemic.

"The handicraft and batik industries, which are part of the creative industry and are dominated by the IKM sector, have received priority development by the Ministry of Industry, because they are considered to have great leverage in boosting national economic growth," he said.

Agus said that in the midst of difficult times like today, the handicraft and batik industry in the country also continues to strive to generate creativity and innovation in order to improve business performance.

According to him, the growth in the performance of the industrial sector is due to maintaining the quality of its products and increasing production volume.

Last year, the export performance of the apparel industry reached US $ 7.04 billion.The fashion industry, which is also closely related to the textile industry sector, also managed to contribute 6.76 percent to the GDP of the non-oil and gas processing industry in 2020.

Meanwhile, the textile industry is currently dealing with rising prices for raw materials, such as fibers and filaments. This is in line with the increase in oil prices.

"The share of raw materials in the cost structure of polyester is around 60 percent, so our selling price goes up by 20-25 percent. And the price for the finished fabric goes up 15-20 percent from the raw material calculation. But transportation and chemicals which are oil base also increase, so the effect is that. to the total price of cloth, the total price could be around 25-30 percent, "said Secretary General of the Indonesian Fiber and Filament Yarn Producers Association (APSyFI) Redma Gita Wirawasta.