THE batik industry is one of the most profitable sectors for women entrepreneurs, those involved in the trade said.

They told The Malaysian Insight that the demand for batik had increased after the Covid pandemic.

Those who dabbled in the craft were predominantly women. There was high demand for their skills.

Mazlizah Ngah, a batik craftsman, said she could earn between RM100 to RM250 a day depending on how many pieces she could complete.

The struggle to find talented and skillful craftsmen was the reason why batik artists got paid high wages, she said.

“You need an artistic soul to produce good quality batik,” Mazlizah added.

“The government’s directive that all civil servants wear batik on Thursday has also driven up demand.”

Mazlizah now employs three batik artists after starting her business five years ago.

“I pay them RM100-RM200 for the finished product. In a day, they can produce four pieces.”

Many of the products are advertised online and usually worn for official functions or events, she said.

“My business is active online and I usually sell pieces that are made-to-order for RM250. The cloth that I use is of good quality.”

Mazlizah’s craftsmen will produce the pieces in their own homes. She collects it from them on a weekly basis.

Making batik the traditional way—hand painting—depends on the weather as it needs to dry, she said.

Usually, batik won’t be produced on cloudy days or during the monsoon season for this very reason.

“During the monsoon season in November or December, we won’t produce batik as it requires sunlight.

“Other places may use fans to dry the pieces, but we don’t want to as it will lead to losses.

“When the weather is humid, batik ink seeps through,” she said.

Another entrepreneur (who only wanted to be known as Noor Hayati) said she pays her artist RM2,500 to RM3,000 a month to produce batik.

However, the industry is facing a lack of skilled workers, especially young people, said Noor Hayati, who has been working with batik for the past 28 years.

“Right now, I only have one batik craftswoman, and four more employees who colour, bleach, dip, and dye the batik.”

Noor Hayati was previously able to employ 10 workers but her business was severely affected by the pandemic lockdowns.

“During the movement control order, I closed for two years and only now are we are slowly recovering.”

The shortage of workers had also impacted her business as it now took longer to complete each piece of batik.

“I used to produce 50 batik a month, but now I have to delay completion of that by at least a month as I don’t have enough workers,” she said. – August 23, 2022.