C. Javanese fight poverty<\/p>\n
By Ahmad Solikhan<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): These days you do not have to spend a lot of
\nmoney to collect vintage vehicles. \"Antique\" vehicles are
\navailable at reasonable prices, which is not surprising at all
\nbecause they made of wood are only decorative.<\/p>\n
Inoe Handicraft, a small business located in Klaten, Central
\nJava, produces antique objects like Harley Davidson motorcycles,
\nVolkswagen Beetles, limousines, horse-drawn carriages and sailing
\nboats.<\/p>\n
Wood serves as the raw material to create the handicrafts.
\nEquipment such as lathes, saws, grinders, files, sandpaper and
\nplanes are used in the production process.<\/p>\n
The handicrafts can be bought at tourist sites like Prambanan
\ntemple, Borobudur temple and along Jl. Malioboro in Yogyakarta.
\nMarketing has extended to Jepara, Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya,
\nDenpasar, Medan and Samarinda. They are even exported to Spain,
\nAustralia, the U.S. and the Middle East. Tourists also often go
\nto handicraft centers to buy the products.<\/p>\n
Before the monetary crisis, domestic sales were equal to the
\nexport turnover, i.e. 1,250 pieces each per month. But since
\n1998, the export demand has increased by more than 100 percent
\nwhile domestic demand has decreased 50 percent.<\/p>\n
According to Ibnu Aji, 27, owner of Inoe Handicraft, it all
\nstarted after he began to worry about being unemployed upon
\ngraduation from a private economics college in Yogyakarta. In
\nmid-1994, a year before his graduation, Aji suddenly got an idea
\nto make a wooden miniature replica of a Harley Davidson
\nmotorcycle.<\/p>\n
\"I felt very lucky to have earned money as a student. The
\nworry I felt has now abated somewhat,\" said Aji proudly.<\/p>\n
The idea was born from witnessing the fanaticism of many young
\nmen with regard to Harley Davidson motorcycles. Posters,
\ncalendars, stickers, caps and T-shirts with pictures of Harley
\nDavidsons and vintage automobiles sold tremendously well.<\/p>\n
Aji then made designs of Harley Davidsons, 35 cm in length and
\n25 cm in height. He used teakwood cut-offs and simple tools. He
\ncould make three or four pieces a week.<\/p>\n
Aji sold his products along Jl. Malioboro at Rp 27,500 a
\npiece. The articles attracted the interest of young people and he
\nhad to work hard to meet the increased market demand. After a
\nyear his business was showing better prospects and yielding a
\nsufficient profit.<\/p>\n
Aji was worried not only about himself. He thought of the many
\nunemployed people around him who had only finished grade school
\nand had no skills.<\/p>\n
So after he graduated in 1995, with a capital of only Rp
\n450,000 he took the risk of setting up a handicraft workshop and
\nhired people from the community.<\/p>\n
Now Inoe Handicraft has 45 workers, with 23 of them regulars
\nand the remaining 22 on a contract basis. For Aji, the skills of
\neach individual are more important than expertise. Even those who
\nnever went to school can work for him.<\/p>\n
Aji pays his workers between Rp 130,000 and Rp 500,000 a month
\nin accordance with their skills. \"To become an expert one needs
\nto have worked three months at least,\" said Aji, a father of one.<\/p>\n
One of the workers Widianto, 21, said he had worked for Aji
\nfor less than a month and so had not yet received any pay. At the
\nend of the month he will receive Rp 130,000. After a three-month
\ntraining period, he will be employed on a permanent basis if his
\nskills have developed enough.<\/p>\n
\"I work here to gain knowledge and to collect capital.
\nNowadays it is very hard to find work without having expertise.
\nIf I have acquired some skill, I will start something on my own
\nin order to be more independent,\" said Widianto, a high school
\ngraduate.<\/p>\n
Now Inoe Handicraft's production is not limited to Harley
\nDavidson motorcycles. It has extended its production line with
\nother vintage vehicles also measuring an average 35 cm long and
\n25 cm high. The raw material is teakwood, mahogany and sono wood
\nin the form of logs ordered from Blora, Wonosobo and Gunungkidul.
\nTheir prices vary. Teakwood is the most expensive at Rp 2.5
\nmillion per cubic meter. Mahogany and sono wood cost respectively
\nRp 450,000 and Rp 350,000 per cubic meter. \"I buy logs because I
\nam trying to develop and meet the rising demand of the market,\"
\nAji said.<\/p>\n
The logs are sawn into pieces of three centimeter thickness.
\nThe pieces are then shaved with a plane and shaped according to
\npatterns. Holes for drilling are shown on the patterns. The
\nsurface of the wood is smoothened by a grindstone and rubbed with
\nsandpaper.<\/p>\n
The pieces of wood are glued one by one according to the
\npattern. Varnish is applied to give a shine to the wood surface.
\nDrying takes about one hour. \"One cubic meter of wood yields
\nabout 250 handicrafts,\" said Aji.<\/p>\n
The prices of the products start from Rp 5,000 for a Beetle. A
\nHarley Davidson costs between Rp 9,000 and Rp 80,000.<\/p>\n
The prices depend on the complexity of the woodwork and the
\ntype of wood. \"If the raw material is teakwood and the work is
\nintricate, the price will automatically be substantially higher,\"
\nAji explained.<\/p>\n
Aji's activities are a catalyst for other wood workers to meet
\nthe demands of the international market. Similar handicraft
\nbusinesses have appeared in the regions of Bantul and Kulonprogo
\nin Yogyakarta province, which is a positive development in
\nreducing the level of unemployment. Especially as there is
\nconcern on the part of the regional administration to aid the
\ndevelopment of small businesses.<\/p>\n
As for Aji, increased market demand has overwhelmed the
\nbusiness, which has a working capital of only Rp 70 million. Aji
\nhimself needs funds to expand the business and provide jobs for
\nmore people.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, he feels that there is lack of concern from the
\nKlaten regional government to help develop small businesses in
\nthe area. He is aware that the government has established the
\nsocial safety network to combat poverty and that he believes that
\nsmall-scale businesses deserve the funds as they help reduce
\nunemployment. \"But I have never requested funds from the regional
\nadministration because a lot of aid has no clear target,\" said
\nAji.<\/p>\n
He has noticed a better situation in Yogyakarta, where there
\nis more attention to its poor citizens in the development of the
\nsmall-scale handicraft industry. Therefore Aji is planning to
\ndevelop his business there.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/c-javanese-fight-poverty-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}