Limestone, Gunungkidul's 'white gold'<\/p>\n
Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
Gunungkidul regency is a typically arid and impoverished area,
\nwith a hilly and jagged limestone landscape that for decades
\nprovided a subsistence living for residents.<\/p>\n
However, all of this limestone, ignored for so long, has for
\nthe last seven years provided residents with a living.
\nGunungkidul is now a regency of sculptors, who are turning
\nworthless limestone into the means to support their families.<\/p>\n
The lives of thousands of people have improved thanks to the
\nlimestone handicraft industry, which has spread throughout
\nGunungkidul.<\/p>\n
Supriyanto, 40, who heads the Marsudi Rejeki handicraft
\ncooperative in the hamlet of Jlantir in Karangmojo district, said
\nthe limestone that is so abundant in the regency was thought to
\nhave no economic value until a Balinese man arrived in the area
\nseven years ago. Supriyanto said the man carved a sculpture from
\na slab of limestone, launching the entire industry.<\/p>\n
\"The result were really good and the sculpture sold for
\nhundreds of thousands of rupiah. One by one other residents began
\ncarving limestone sculptures and handicrafts, and you see the
\nresults around you now,\" said the father of two.<\/p>\n
Supriyanto, who has been involved in the industry for the past
\nfour years, said the limestone was used to create all kinds of
\nitems, including ventilation holes for homes, reliefs, ornaments,
\nstatues and garden decorations.<\/p>\n
\"The market is wide open. All the items are purchased by
\nbuyers in major cities like Jakarta, Bandung, Denpasar and
\nSurabaya,\" said Supriyanto.<\/p>\n
The cooperative includes 18 craftsmen, who earn between Rp
\n700,000 (US$70) and Rp 1 million a month. \"It is not bad money
\nfor the work,\" said one of the craftsmen, Kiswanto, 45.<\/p>\n
Before joining the cooperative, Kiswanto said he struggled
\njust to feed his family with the small plot of land on which he
\ngrew rice and cassava.<\/p>\n
\"The price of cassava is always low during the harvest and the
\nmoney we made from selling gaplek (dried cassava) was not enough
\nto meet our daily needs and to pay the children's school fees,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Supriyanto and Kiswanto said limestone craftsmen now needed an
\nintegrated marketing system to help their business take off, for
\nexample by setting up a showroom in the city.<\/p>\n
\"But we definitely cannot afford that because it would require
\na lot of money,\" said Kiswanto.<\/p>\n
Supriyanto said the cooperative's work was now sold through
\nbrokers who placed orders with the group. While the orders have
\ncontinued to come in, the craftsmen know that the brokers are the
\nones getting the largest share of the profits.<\/p>\n
Despite this, the limestone handicraft industry has
\ndrastically altered the very fabric of life in the regency.
\nBefore the arrival of the Balinese man in the regency, people who
\ngrew up in Gunungkidul could not wait to get out and try to make
\nbetter lives for themselves in the big city. Now after graduating
\njunior high school or high school, more young people are choosing
\nto stay at home and carve better lives for themselves out of
\nGunungkidul's limestone.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/limestone-gunungkiduls-white-gold-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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