Finance Minister Purbaya Purchases Batik Worth Rp10 Million at Beringharjo Market
Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa visited the traditional shopping centres of Teras Malioboro and Beringharjo Market in Yogyakarta on Tuesday, 17 March 2026. Accompanied by DIY Governor Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, Minister Purbaya not only monitored market conditions but also purchased a substantial quantity of local products, particularly hand-drawn batik, spending approximately Rp10 million.
Purbaya revealed that he deliberately purchased large quantities of batik because internet users and netizens on social media frequently mocked him for consistently wearing batik with the same motifs and colours at various occasions. “Netizens often tease me, saying my batik is always the same blue colour, so I will change it so it is not constantly blue. This is new batik; I want to switch to brown and black to look more authoritative,” Purbaya joked. Beyond purchasing for himself, Purbaya also bought batik, fabric and t-shirts for his wife.
Eka Setiyarni, one of the merchants whose stock was purchased by Purbaya, expressed great pleasure with the sale. She disclosed that Purbaya purchased six items of classic hand-drawn batik and a pair of silk sarimbit fabric made using non-motorised looms (ATBM) from her stall. “The most expensive item purchased by Purbaya was a pair of silk sarimbit batik, priced at Rp4.9 million,” she stated.
Purbaya also bought five pieces of cotton batik fabric with Yogyakarta motifs and one piece with Solo motifs, each priced between Rp1-4 million per piece. “So the total of Purbaya’s purchases came to approximately Rp10 million,” she noted. Although Purbaya did not negotiate the price, Eka stated that he still received a special discount due to purchasing in large quantities.
Furthermore, Purbaya felt the price he paid for his purchases was fair given the lengthy and labour-intensive process of producing hand-drawn batik. He compared the batik prices in Yogyakarta, which he found far more competitive than those in Jakarta for the same product quality. “The price is reasonable given the handmade batik process takes several days and considerable effort. The finished product looks sufficiently good,” Purbaya commented.
Purbaya stated that his visit to the traditional markets in Yogyakarta was intended to directly observe market conditions which have recently been rumoured to be quiet and stagnant. He expressed satisfaction upon witnessing that trading activity remained highly dynamic in Yogyakarta. “This visit was to see whether traditional markets have truly died, but it turns out they remain bustling with high turnover; the market’s pulse is still alive,” he said.