TELUK INTAN: The Perak Crafts Festival 2023, which started on Aug 25 and ends on Sept 3, aims to collect sales of RM1mil with a target attendance of around 75,000 visitors.
The Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry deputy secretary-general (culture) Mohd Yusri Mohd Yusoff said a total of 51 entrepreneurs from Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak are participating in the festival which has been held since 2014.
"The festival is organised with the aim of promoting and commercialising local craft products to local residents and tourists as well as increasing the community's knowledge and awareness of Malaysian crafts.
"Themed 'Ini Kraf Malaysia', it showcases the variety of Malaysian craft products found in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak with an effort to cultivate craft art in the daily lives of the people," he said after attending a walkabout session which was also attended by Kraftangan Malaysia director-general Ainu Sham Ramli and Kraftangan Malaysia Perak branch director Mohamad Rizan Mohamad Nordin at Dataran Menara Condong here on Sunday (Aug 27).
Earlier, in the walkabout session, Mohd Yusri also presented 1,050 participation certificates and craft kits for batik dyeing activities, rattan basket weaving and making decorative vases to seven schools from around the state.
He said that he hoped that the organisation of this carnival would also boost the economy of entrepreneurs and the craft community in addition to providing direct benefits to the value chain of the tourism sector, especially in Perak.
"The ministry and Kraftangan Malaysia will continue to empower craft entrepreneurs in Perak and call on them to continue producing quality products to offer to tourists, especially in preparation for Visit Perak Year 2024," he said.
In the meantime, he said various other interesting activities were also being held throughout the organisation of the carnival such as sarong batik tug-of-war competitions, martial arts competitions, folk sports games, Malaysian batik zumba and so on. – Bernama
