Jakarta, May 8, 2019 --- Publicly listed state lender PT Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) recently supported the Indonesian Batik Foundation in organizing the Gelar Batik Nusantara (GBN) 2019 batik expo. A total of 260 booths of batik artisans took part in the event held on May 8-12 at the Plenary, Main Lobby and Assembly Hall, of the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC).
The exhibition themed "Sustainable Unlimited" was officially opened by Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto. Also present was Mufida the wife of Vice President Jusuf Kalla. Five craftsmen from Rumah Kreatif BUMN (RKB), a creative house run by state-owned companies, in this case BNI, displayed their works in this prestigious event, which was held for the 11th time. The five BNI-trained batik makers who participated in the GBN 2019 expo were Widi Nugraha Batik RKB from Ngawi, East Java; Ayesha Collection from Padang, West Sumatra; Batik Tebo by Rizky Danang from Rebo Tebo, Rajasa Mas from Cilacap, Central Java and Suruh Temurose from Banyuwangi, East Java.
BNI corporate secretary Meiliana said, "BNI fully supports the activities of GBN 2019 with the Indonesian Batik Foundation. On this occasion BNI's batik makers showcased their works along with batik artisans from all over Indonesia, honed marketing strategies and became increasingly familiar with the batik trends popular with the public."
Tebo Batik by Rizky Danang, winner of the Siddhakarya Productivity Award in 2018, said, "I am very happy to be able to showcase Batik Tebo during the GBN 2019. Besides being known to many people, this event also boosts my motivation to be creative and get new ideas by looking at the batik works of other craftsmen."
In addition, Toni Sudarmaji from the production section of Rajasa Mas said, "It is a pleasure to be able to participate in GBN 2019. Here, I have formed a new network for sales and made friends from various regions in Indonesia. I hope this event will be able to increase the production and turnover of Rajasa Mas."
RKB is a forum for SOEs to collaborate in forming a digital economy ecosystem by fostering micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). RKB is expected to increase the capacity and capability of the MSMEs. RKB was built as a data and information center and as a center for education, development and digitalization for MSMEs. BNI is one of the state-owned banks that actively participates in the development of the MSMEs that work under the RKB.
"We provide assistance to BNI-assisted RKB, including basic bookkeeping, quality control and marketing. So they know how to develop business and improve product quality. Hopefully by providing experience to RKB at GBN 2019 it can advance the businesses and introduce the beauty of Indonesian batik in the international scene," Meiliana added.