News
An end to colour
View(s):Pix and story by Akila Jayawardena
Behind the vibrant batik industry are tears of those who are involved in the production, as they struggle to survive for the past two years.
“First it was the pandemic and tourist arrivals were zero during lockdowns. Most of us tried hard to sell the already produced batik clothware, sheets and wall decos. But our sales were poor leading to some closing business temporarily,” lamented J M Chandrasiri from Kandy.
As the country returned to normalcy, the economic crisis hit the industry once again crushing all hopes of those in the making of batikwork.
“Finding raw material and the high cost of production is hitting us hard. The prices of wax and dye is increasing rapidly and now we are compelled to charge three times more than previously. Due to price increases there is a drop in sales among locals as well,” he said.
“If this continues and we have no relief from the State, our popular batik beachware will disappear from tourist hotspots. It will be the death of traditional batik work. The unique symbols used in Lankan batik cannot be found anyware,” he said.
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