Porters spend their nights at Kramatjati market<\/p>\n
Text and photos by Agus Y. Ranu<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): In the dead of night, 12:50 a.m., most Jakartans
\nare fast asleep. In the encompassing darkness, bare light bulbs
\nshine on stacks of fresh fruit and vegetables. Deflected light
\nradiates from the fruit and vegetable skins.<\/p>\n
A truck with East Java license plates, loaded to the brim with
\nmangoes, drives slowly looking for Pak Yunus' kiosk. Yunus is one
\nof the mango wholesalers at the Kramatjati wholesale produce
\nmarket in East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
A number of men were running along both sides of the truck. As
\nsoon as the truck stopped, they unloaded its contents. The mango
\ncrates were unloaded one by one and stacked neatly in the corner
\nof the kiosk. The dry season's cold night wind did not stop the
\nsweat pouring profusely from the porters' brows. There was not
\nthe slightest sign of fatigue on their faces. Elsewhere in the
\nmarket, a similar scene unfolded when a truck from Brebes,
\nCentral Java, unloaded onions and red chilies.<\/p>\n
Fruit and vegetables consumed by Jakartans come from towns
\noutside the capital city, aside from imports. The towns which
\nsupply produce for Jakarta include Cipanas, Sukabumi, Garut,
\nTegal, Brebes, Purwokerto, Wonosobo, Temanggung, Malang,
\nProbolinggo, Medan, Jambi and Palembang. Regional traders supply
\nfruit and vegetables to the wholesalers at the Kramatjati market.<\/p>\n
Retailers then buy the fruit and vegetables from the
\nwholesalers to sell to end users at smaller markets throughout
\nJakarta, or, they hawk them in residential areas.<\/p>\n
It is intriguing to follow the progress of fruits and
\nvegetables, from their arrival at the Kramatjati market to their
\nfinal squeeze by Jakartan housewives.<\/p>\n
Trucks, big and small, arrive at Kramatjati and then porters
\nunload the produce into kiosks or wholesalers' storage areas.<\/p>\n
After retailers and wholesalers end their transactions, it is
\nthe porters who get busy again. They carry and load the produce
\nonto vehicles used by the retailers to transport the fruit and
\nvegetables.<\/p>\n
As yet, the porters cannot be replaced with sophisticated
\nequipment. There is admirable strength in their bodies, which do
\nnot look all that powerful. A bag of vegetables or a crate of
\nfruit weighing dozens of kilograms is lifted in one movement
\nwithout a twinge. Some of the porters are capable of carrying
\nmore than 150 kilograms. But above all, there is an even more
\nadmirable strength emanating from their faces -- a fire kindled
\nby a fighting spirit in facing the realities of a hard life that
\nis often unfriendly to them.<\/p>\n
There are three types of vehicles transporting fruit and
\nvegetables from Kramatjati to smaller markets: oplet (vans),
\ntrucks and market buses. The oplet are hired for small cargoes
\nand travel short distances. For locations on a permanent route,
\nmarket buses are the cheapest choice. Medium-size trucks are
\npreferred for longer distances and locations outside the bus
\nroutes.<\/p>\n
Only four market buses are now in operation. Quite often, only
\nthree of them are available to deliver to retailers. The buses
\nfrequent the routes to Pondok Labu and Kebayoran Lama, South
\nJakarta, Grogol and Kota, West Jakarta, and Tanjung Priok, North
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
The buses leave their garage at Ciputat in Tangerang, West
\nJava, at 4 a.m. By 5:30 a.m., they are queuing at a special stop
\ninside the Kramatjati wholesale produce market. It takes many
\nhours to load the buses. At 8.30 a.m., the buses transport their
\nregular customers to various destinations. On regular work days,
\nthe market buses make a maximum of two trips. On busy days, such
\nas prior to the Idul Fitri holiday and the year's end, they make
\nthree or four trips.<\/p>\n
The market buses' fares are determined by the goods
\ntransported, while the passengers, who own the goods, travel free
\nof charge. A sack of vegetables weighing 100 kilograms, for
\nexample, is charged Rp 1,500. A mid-sized crate of fruit costs Rp
\n1,000 and a small one Rp 500. Payments are collected before the
\nbuses begin their routes.<\/p>\n
It is also possible that market buses can be found at the
\nKramatjati market only. They regularly serve women fruit and
\nvegetables retailers. The buses are old but reliable and are
\ncapable of competing with new buses. For retailers, especially
\nthe smaller ones, this means of transportation, in operation
\nsince 1974, is their only choice considering their scale of
\nbusiness.<\/p>\n
The cooperation of retailers, porters and market bus operators
\nis beneficial for all parties. Their interdependence is a dynamic
\npulse that continues to beat and to give life.<\/p>",
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