News
Batik wars: Imports vs local producers
View(s):Text and pictures by Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe
The local batik industry has been hit hard by illegal imports of printed Indian material.
Batik producers complain that the Indian printed batik sarongs and clothing items have reached Pettah markets for lesser prices, affecting the sales of local batik products.
The local Batik Manufacturers Association (BMA) pointed out that increased production costs and reduced sales have affected their industry.
An owner of a batik manufacturing company, Chammi Samaraweera said that sales of their products have dropped due to Indian printed materials reaching the markets for cheaper prices. People purchase the imported clothes such as Indian batik sarongs, dresses and sarees.
He said they have been facing a drop in sales for over a year, therefore the once busy batik industrial area of Marawila has been not so busy lately as local producers are not receiving orders to produce locally designed batik items.
“If printed batik material are allowed to enter the country, a tax should be imposed on imports as a measure to secure local products,” he said.
Mr Samaraweera said the local batik industry had spread into the country in the 1960s. He explained that though in the early days the industry was monopolised, later it reached rural villages where batik clothing was prepared in houses making it a domestic industry.
There was high demand for local batik clothing from foreign tourists during the 1970s. Therefore batik manufacturers catered to the demand by making clothing items with perahara, Sigiri apsara, peacock, and elephant drawings.
Between 1970 and 1985 the local batik industry was so popular there were areas specified for the industry such as Marawila, Nattandiya, Mahawewa, Koswadiya, Halpanwila, Maradawella, Hathiya and Thalwila in Puttalam District.
Mr Samaraweera said even when tourist activity dropped due to the civil war, they stabilised sales in local markets by introducing the batik sarong.
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