Embroidery industry slumps after fire

Embroidery industry slumps after fire

BANDUNG, West Java: Around 600 embroidery makers in the West
Java town of Tasikmalaya have gone bankrupt due to a decline in
demand following a fire that gutted Southeast Asia's largest
garment market in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, earlier this
month.

One of the embroidery entrepreneurs, Muslim, said that
garments worth around Rp 15 billion (US$1.6 million) had been
left untouched in the warehouses due to a lack of demand. He said
most of the producers had in fact gone bankrupt.

Hundreds of embroidery makers in Kawalu, Cilamajang,
Karsamenak, Cibeuti, Karanganyar and Tanjung villages in
Tasikmalaya used to sell their products to the Tanah Abang
market.

Muslim said he had to lay off 600 of his 700 employees due the
slump.

To save the local garment industry, Muslim demanded that the
government quickly rebuild Tanah Abang market. -- Antara