Turtledove breeders singing a happy tune<\/p>\n
By Asip Agus Hasani<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Turtle dove breeders in this ancient town
\nwhistle happy tunes now as the economic crisis has thrust other
\nbusinesses into the jaws of bankruptcy.<\/p>\n
Major turtle dove (perkutut) sellers have reported they are
\noverwhelmed by the rising demand for high-quality song birds,
\nespecially perkutut Bangkok (Bangkok turtle dove). As the name
\nsuggests, bird sellers claim the doves are imported from
\nThailand.<\/p>\n
It is believed that people need the birds' legendary cooing to
\nrelieve their restless minds of the stress arising from the
\nvarious problems that the economic crisis has wrought.<\/p>\n
Among the local community, the Bangkok turtle dove is so
\npopular that the soft melodious bird is dubbed the \"aristocrat's
\nbird\". Due to the high price it commands, only the wealthy can
\nafford to buy it.<\/p>\n
\"Had the economic crisis not occurred, I'm sure I wouldn't
\nhave been able to buy a house,\" said the beaming Ujang, a
\n50-year-old turtle dove breeder who has been in the business for
\nseven years in Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
\"Apparently, people like listening to their bird as they drink
\ncoffee at home during this crisis,\" he said with a smile.<\/p>\n
When the crisis broke in July 1997, Ujang thought his business
\nwould go bankrupt because the plunging value of the rupiah
\nagainst the U.S. dollar had cut people's buying power.<\/p>\n
\"But strangely, four months after the crisis began, my turtle
\ndoves sold like hot cakes,\" the father of eight recalled.<\/p>\n
Ujang, a Sundanese migrant from Tasikmalaya, West Java,
\nbought a house, a Suzuki Carry minibus and 5,000 square meters of
\nland which he has turned into a bird farm from selling four
\nturtle doves.<\/p>\n
Three of the four turtle doves were of the jawara caliber,
\nmeaning they had once emerged as winners in regional turtle dove
\ncontests.<\/p>\n
Ujang said before he moved to Yogyakarta, he had worked in a
\nturtle dove breeding farm where he learned the ABC of the
\nbusiness. He started his own business in Yogyakarta with several
\npairs of turtle doves he bought in Thailand for his former
\ncompany. Now he has about 700 birds on his farm.<\/p>\n
Before the crisis, Ujang said, he could sell only three birds
\na month at between Rp 100,000 and Rp 1 million each. A jawara
\nsold at only about Rp 5 million then.<\/p>\n
After the crisis struck, he could sell between 10 and 20 birds
\na day and his monthly turnover has risen to about Rp 20 million,
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
The dramatic surge in the demand for the singing bird has also
\nbeen reported by owners of larger turtle dove breeding farms.
\nMohamad Hasan, also known by his Chinese name Law Haw Chien, has
\nreported a 300 percent increase in demand.<\/p>\n
Hasan, who owns Andalas Bird Farm, said so high was the demand
\nthat he has almost run out of chicks and some customers are
\nwilling to wait for several weeks although the price for a high-
\ngrade chick is between Rp 5 million and Rp 10 million.<\/p>\n
The company has its farm in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"The existing chicks are just too young to be separated from
\ntheir mothers,\" he said, adding that he, too, was surprised by
\nthe extraordinarily high demand.<\/p>\n
Another big name in the industry is Edward Luison, who runs a
\nturtle dove breeding establishment Gunung Mas Bird Farms in
\nTasikmalaya. He sets the minimum price for a chick at Rp 10
\nmillion. Luison claims his monthly turnover is Rp 400 million,
\nmaking it the largest bird breeding firm in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The second largest is thought to be the Bandung-based Leo Bird
\nFarm, whose monthly sales he estimates to have soared from Rp 200
\nmillion before the crisis began to Rp 350 million since.<\/p>\n
For a turtle dove fanatic, his pride will be ensured when his
\nbird wins a singing contest. Traders also have great interest in
\nsuch a contest because the more the birds they have sold win
\ncontests, the more popular they will be.<\/p>\n
Contests are usually divided into three categories, local,
\nregional and national levels.<\/p>\n
A turtle dove which wins a local contest may fetch between Rp
\n2.5 million and 20 million. One emerging champion in a regional
\ncontest -- for example at the Central Indonesia level -- will
\ncarry a Rp 10 - Rp 50 million price tag while a national champion
\nmay go for up to Rp 450 million.<\/p>\n
A turtle dove named after the nation's badminton queen Susi
\nSusanti belonging to Gunung Mas Bird Farm was offered at Rp 450
\nmillion after it won a national contest. Susi's achievement has
\nreportedly helped to drive up the price of its peers.<\/p>\n
The reputation of Andalas Bird Farm has also been flying high
\nsince one of its birds named \"Bukan Basa Basi\" (Not Just Lip
\nService) won national contests four times.<\/p>\n
Bangkok turtle doves sell for higher prices than local ones
\nalthough their true origin is always debatable. Many people well-
\nversed in the bird business say that any good doves will be
\ntouted by their sellers as \"Bangkok\" doves.<\/p>\n
Bird business people claim that around 4,000 turtle doves are
\nimported from Bangkok through Jakarta, Semarang and Surabaya
\nevery month. On the market, each pair of imported birds sells at
\nno less than Rp 1 million.<\/p>\n
The backgrounds of turtle dove lovers range from city bus
\ndrivers, government officials, business people and farmers. Gusti
\nPrabu, a relative of Sultan Hamengku Buwono X is known to be a
\nturtle dove fanatic.<\/p>\n
Traders say that low-income people would buy birds priced at
\nbelow Rp 1 million while the middle and upper class people will
\nbe after birds worth Rp 2.5 million and above, including prize-
\nwinning ones.<\/p>\n
For the wealthy, price is no problem.<\/p>\n
\"Price comes after quality. So long as the bird is good, the
\nprice is not the issue,\" said Tedy, a bird lover from Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Haji Muidin, a timber trader and a turtle dove enthusiast from
\nKalimantan, claims he did not mind spending Rp 100 million or
\nmore for a prize winning jawara.<\/p>\n
\"So long as the turtle dove is of top quality, I can sell it
\nfor an even higher price if I wish,\" he said when attending a
\nrecent bird contest at Prambanan Temple, Central Java.<\/p>",
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