Bamboo handicraft help villagers earn a better living<\/p>\n
Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Purwokerto<\/p>\n
A woman carefully cleans a bamboo chair with a wet cloth while a
\ngroup of six men nearby her busily cut and work with pieces of
\nbamboo.<\/p>\n
This is a routine scene around Kemutung Kidul village in
\nBaturaden, Banyumas regency, Central Java. In the village, almost
\nhalf of its residents depend on bamboo for a living.<\/p>\n
With skilled hands, the bamboo is turned into an assortment of
\nhandicrafts, furniture or armchairs, which are made in a greater
\nquantity than other items since they sell the quickest.<\/p>\n
Craftsmen in the village said that the unique bamboo with a
\ndark tone greatly improved their lives.<\/p>\n
\"We can even say that creating bamboo products is our main
\njob. With no money to run other businesses, what else can we do.
\nBesides, it's real hard to find a job,\" said 34-year-old Rusmadi,
\none of the local craftsmen in this village.<\/p>\n
He said that village residents started to turn to the
\nhandicraft business when the country was first hit by the crisis.<\/p>\n
\"Before the crisis, there were bamboo craftsmen, but only one
\nor two of them. But now, many villagers have become bamboo
\ncraftsmen,\" said Rusmadi.<\/p>\n
Another craftsman, Sito Dwijo Siswoyo, 38, decided to get
\nseriously involved in the business. In his workshop, Sito mostly
\nproduces armchairs with the assistance of nine workers.<\/p>\n
Each month, despite stiff competition from other producers --
\nthere are more than 200 people involved in the bamboo business --
\nhe can sell about 700 armchairs. An armchair is sold at Rp
\n13,000, giving him a net profit of Rp 3,000 for each chair after
\nworkers' fees and production costs.<\/p>\n
\"The buyers mostly come from around the village, but they will
\nsell the products again to other places, even outside the regency
\nat a higher price of about Rp 30,000 each,\" Sito said.<\/p>\n
He said some of his products were sold to other regencies in
\nCentral Java and also in Cirebon, West Java.<\/p>\n
\"If we sell the products in a faraway place, we usually take a
\nlarge quantity with us. Then, we stay there for a week or two and
\nwill come home only when we have sold all our products,\" said
\nSito.<\/p>\n
In one day, Sito and his workers can make between 30 and 35
\narmchairs. A worker is paid Rp 5,000 for each chair he makes. \"On
\naverage, a worker can make three to four chairs a day,\" he said.<\/p>\n
To create an armchair, the craftsman needs about one and a
\nhalf bamboo stalks, which are sold at Rp 5,000 a stalk. \"I
\nusually buy a truckload of bamboo, amounting to 225 stalks, once
\na week,\" Sito said.<\/p>\n
For the workers, the bamboo business has helped them make ends
\nmeet. \"Rather than work in big cities, it's better to work in our
\nown village,\" said one of the workers, Waslam, 24. For his work,
\nhe can bring home an average of Rp 20,000 per day.<\/p>\n
The business also gives an opportunity to women in the village
\nto earn additional money. When a chair is completed, these women
\nwill clean it for Rp 300 per chair.<\/p>\n
\"Not bad for our children's additional pocket money,\" said
\nTurisem, who cleans some 20 chairs every day.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bamboo-handicraft-help-villagers-earn-a-better-living-1447893297",
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