JAKARTA: Indonesia has seen a steep decline in the number of artisanal batik producers over the past four years across key production centres from Java to Sumatra, as pressure mounts from a surge of mass-produced batik-like fabrics, most of which are imported.
Batik artisan Ahmad Failasuf from Pekalongan, Central Java, struggles to compete with mass-produced batik and to find young workers to rejuvenate his business.
