Singaraja- The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology and Community Service Leading Applied Research to Higher Education DRTPM with the 2023 Foster Village Scheme in partnership with Artha Dharma Weaving in Sinabun Village, Sawan District, Buleleng Regency was again continued by a team from the Ganesha University of Education (Undiksha). The implementation of this program received appreciation from the Indonesian Creative Regency/City Self-Assessment Test Team (PMK3I) of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (Kemenparekraf), Wednesday (19/7/2023).
The implementation of this program seeks to create superior products that process from upstream to downstream. Head of the program implementation team, Dr.rer.nat. I Wayan Karyasa, S.Pd., M.Sc explained that this research and community service has quite a long stage. Starting from the cultivation of silkworms, yarn spinning with the latest technology, and research results conducted. The spinning process consists in removing the seresin produced by the silkworm, a dyeing process that is carried out directly when spinning with natural dyes. Then the seresin waste with nano paste will be processed into an ointment to treat livestock wounds.
Further explained, the implementation of the program in the second year is also carried out by engineering the feed given to silkworms to produce stronger, better cocoons, and if possible, natural colors. In the implementation of the first phase of the program or in 2022, it will only be possible to kilize silk fibers which are much stronger than ordinary natural silkworms. This will really help the craftsman during the coloring process because the absorption and suction power is better. “The main problem with these weavers is that the thread breaks in the middle of the weaving process so it has to be connected and it takes a long time. If the thread is stronger, let alone silk, it will be better,” he explained.
The implementation of this program is a form of support to the government which expects product handling from upstream to downstream, processing without waste, and being able to process waste into useful products. In addition, to support Sinabun Village to become a tourism center for endek weaving from upstream to downstream. “Hopefully next year we will continue to make this endek weaving tourism village a real one and various ministries will come to see this as a whole,” he hoped.
This Chemistry Department academic expressed his gratitude for the visit from the PMK3I Team of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy. He hopes that the collaboration between Kemenparekraf and DRTM Kemendikbudristek, the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), and Undiksha can continue in strengthening and advancing the creative industry. He also expressed his appreciation to Herman Sari from the Zoology Center of the BRIN for his guidance in hatching silkworms and testing the application of registered patents for in-situ natural dyes on spinning silk fiber filaments.
The PMK3I team from the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Ramalis Sobandi, expressed his appreciation for the collaboration between Artha Dharma Weaving and Undiksha who wanted to maintain the superiority of local products by combining them with technology. Apart from that, they also try to build an ecosystem from upstream to downstream and also think of this creative economy as a closed (circular) economy. “So it’s not just upstream and downstream, but there is no waste, it doesn’t die, there is regeneration and so on, so we are very impressed,” he said.
Delivered further, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy is currently developing a network of Indonesian creative cities which assumes that the creative economy can survive if academics, businesses, commodities, government, and the media can cooperate according to their respective responsibilities. In addition, the process chain takes place, there is a creation with new technology, production, distribution, consumption, and finally conservation. Ramalis Sobandi emphasized that the production process from upstream to downstream is something that is interesting in the creative economy. Not only weaving but also others.
The owner of Artha Dharma Weaving, Ketut Rajin has long paid attention to maintaining the culture of weaving songket and endek cloth. In fact, he developed a training center to care for crafters’ regeneration.
He also has great hopes for his business going forward, namely being able to carry out the weaving process from upstream to downstream and being able to become a tourism education center that can be developed with the agricultural sector. Now, he is also trying to develop creative designs that the wider community can accept. (hms)
