Soaring fuel prices affect 'kemplang' cracker producers<\/p>\n
Oyos Saroso H.N., The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung<\/p>\n
The small bamboo house clinging to the side of Sulah hill in
\nBandarlampung is empty, save for the owner, Sainan, 36, who
\nhas been in a somber mood for the past few months.<\/p>\n
Sainan has been producing kemplang crackers in the house for
\nthe past decade, but it looks likely that the house will collapse
\nalong with the business, sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n
Sainan is one of hundreds of small kemplang producers in
\nBandarlampung facing bankruptcy due to the ever-increasing price
\nof tapioca, the main ingredient in kemplang crackers. Dozens of
\nkemplang makers have gone out of business since the price of
\ntapioca flour shot up along with fuel prices in Bandarlampung,
\nwhich has been suffering fuel shortages.<\/p>\n
In 2004, a 25-kilogram sack of tapioca flour cost Rp 100,000
\n(US$10). In March this year, the price increased to Rp 130,000
\nand it is now at Rp 150,000, while the price of kemplang crackers
\nhas remained steady. Kemplang crackers are made of white fish and
\ntapioca, and are produced mainly in Lampung and Palembang.<\/p>\n
Sainan, a father of three, said he would be able to survive
\nbecause he had other skills besides making kemplang, but he was
\nstill worried about the future.<\/p>\n
\"If I stop making kemplang, what will my children eat? My
\noldest child is still in the 10th grade in high school,\" said
\nSainan, who employs four of his neighbors' children who have
\ndropped out of school.<\/p>\n
Sainan said many of his neighbors had closed down their
\nkemplang businesses because they could no longer cover production
\ncosts amid the soaring price of kerosene.<\/p>\n
\"The profit is very small. After spending Rp 450,000 to buy
\ntapioca, spices and pay the workers, I only earn a net profit of
\nRp 20,000 to Rp 30,000. We are confused. The price of tapioca has
\ncontinued to rise, but we cannot raise the price of kemplang due
\nto complaints from our customers,\" said Sainan on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The price of kemplang crackers remains the same as it was five
\nyears ago: Rp 60 per cracker.<\/p>\n
The surge in tapioca prices has had a disastrous effect on the
\nkemplang cottage industry. Each producer needs an average of 100
\nkilograms of tapioca daily. Prior to the rise in tapioca prices,
\nSainan could produce 22,500 kemplang crackers daily. They are
\nusually packed in plastic bags, each bag containing 25 crackers.
\nHe sells each bag for Rp 2,000, and retailers in turn sell the
\ncrackers for Rp 100 a piece or Rp 2,500 per pack. Now, after the
\nprice of tapioca has gone up, Sainan produces kemplang on
\nalternate days, using only 50 kilograms of tapioca.<\/p>\n
Sainan said times were tough, but he could still afford to
\nsend his children to school. He is more fortunate than Ayung, 36,
\na kemplang vendor on Jl. Lobak in Sukarame, Bandarlampung, who
\nwent bankrupt in May.<\/p>\n
Ayung now sells ordinary crackers that he collects from small-
\nscale producers and then sells at the Bambu Kuning traditional
\nmarket in Bandarlampung. \"I prefer selling ordinary crackers
\nrather than not earning any money making kemplang,\" said Ayung.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/soaring-fuel-prices-affect-kemplang-cracker-producers-1447893297",
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