BATIK IN INDONESIA

Although no official records began to be known when the batik in Pekalongan, but according to existing estimates of batik in Pekalongan around the year 1800. Even according to the data recorded at the Ministry, batik motif was created in 1802, as a small tree motif of clothing materials.

However, significant progress could have occurred after a major war in 1825-1830 in the Mataram kingdom, often referred to by the Diponegoro war or a war of Java. With the war court is urging families and their followers who left the region many kingdoms. They then spread to the East and West. Later in the area - new area of the family and followers develop batik.

To the east of Solo and Yogyakarta batik style batik refine existing in Mojokerto and Tulungagung to spread to Gresik, Surabaya and Madura. Westward was developed in Banyumas batik, Kebumen, Tegal, Cirebon and Pekalongan. With this migration, the batik Pekalongan existing growing.

Over time, Batik Pekalongan experiencing rapid development compared with other regions. Batik in this area grew around coastal areas, namely in the cities and towns of Pekalongan Buaran, Pekajangan and Wonopringgo.

Batik Pekalongan, between the Past and Today

BATIK pekalongan become very distinctive because it relies entirely on hundreds of small businesses, rather than on a handful of large capital entrepreneurs. Since many years ago until now, most of the production process of batik pekalongan done in homes.

As a result, batik pekalongan closely integrated with community life Pekalongan now divided into two administrative regions, namely the City and County Pekalongan Pekalongan, Central Java. Batik is a breath of life pekalongan everyday citizens Pekalongan. He lived citizen support and Pekalongan.

However, as with small and medium businesses in Indonesia, batik business pekalongan are now facing a transition period. The development of an increasingly complex world and the emergence of new competitors, such as Vietnam, challenging pekalongan batik industry to immediately transforms itself into a more modern direction.

Failed through this transition period, batik pekalongan may only be remembered by future generations the history books.

At that time, the pattern of batik artisans work is still greatly affected the agricultural cycle. We take the plant or harvest rice, they are fully working in the fields. However, between the planting and harvest, they work entirely as batik artisans.

Age has changed. Workers in Pekalongan batik is now no longer dominated by farmers. They are mostly from local youth who wanted to make a living. Their lives may be entirely dependent on batik work.

What pekalongan batik industry faces today is probably the same problem faced by other industries in Indonesia, especially those based on small and medium entrepreneurs.

The issue was, among other things, a decline in competitiveness as indicated by the product selling price is higher than the selling price of similar products produced by other countries. In fact, the quality of the product dihasikan better than competitor products Indonesian businessmen.

The cause of this problem varies, ranging from low productivity and skills of workers, lack of initiative entrepreneurs to innovate products, to support machine tools usangnya production process.