Kuching, Malaysia- Nearly half of the handicraft sold in Kuching, Sarawak is sourced from Indonesian part of Kalimantan Island, a study revealed.
State Planning Unit Industry, Tourism and Commerce Department principal assistant director Mohd Sa`aid Atoi said Sarawak handicraft faced strong competition from cheaper yet similar Kalimantan products.
He was presenting a paper on the findings of a recent Sarawak handicraft industry development study at a handicraft industry development workshop at the Sarawak Tourism Complex here.
The event was organized by Sarawak Craft Council as one of the activities for Handicraft Week.
The study was to analyze the sustainability andcompetitiveness of the state handicraft industry.Sa`aid said the study also found that local handicraft producers lacked market accessibility because they do not have links to mainstreamtraders."They lack basic raw material management and access to working capital. Handicraft production is part-time and the producers work as individuals," he added. (**)
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/ (26 April 2007)
