KUALA TERENGGANU: The state’s biggest batik festival, which will be held on Nov 13 and 14, targets children from pre-school onwards.
It aims to instill a sense of pride and develop a culture of wearing batik attire from an early age.
The festival also hopes to dispel the notion that the monsoon season is a low period due to floods, with no major activities that could attract tourists to the state.
“We are breaking away from the norm during this monsoon and we want to tell the people that there are places to visit and shop in Terengganu with us showcasing batik as an attraction at 70 pavillions which will be selling premium batik at a discount of as much as 50 per cent,” said Noor Arfa Batik managing director Wan Mohd Hafiz Wan Mohd Ariffin.
With support from Yayasan Di Raja Sultan Mizan, Kraftangan Terengganu branch, Kuala Terengganu Science Centre and major hotels in the city, the organiser hopes to attract 700 people to take part in its batik canting competition.
Hafiz said batik was an important local industry which had a market value of more than RM1.5 billion.
“Actually, it could touch more than RM5 billion and not less than RM10 billion.
“The market is huge and the economy will benefit from a government policy that protects and promotes the industry,” he said after announcing the event.
“At Noor Arfa Craft Complex, we are not just selling batik but also helping entrepreneurs with training to develop their own brand hoping that one day they will become a major player in the batik market both nationally and internationally.
“Our efforts will ensure that we have second and third tier batik producers in the country,” he added.
