Bamboo flagpole sales drop in Bandung
Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung
Sellers of bamboo flagpoles in Bandung, West Java, are hardly smiling nowadays when asked about their sales turnover during the campaign period, as sales have dropped more than 50 percent compared to the previous campaign period in 1999.
The flagpoles are mainly used to raise the banners of political parties along Jl. Soekarno-Hatta and the southern ring road here. Party flags are also raised at residences.
Dena, 24, who took over the bamboo flagpole business several years ago from her grandmother, said business was worse than the 1999 election year.
Dena's grandmother had been selling bamboo flagpoles since 1961 along the railway tracks on Jl. Kiaracondong before Dena took over.
Dena said that five years ago, he could sell at least 1,000 flagpoles each day during the week before the campaign period. "But now, from a week prior to the campaign period until the 14th day of campaigning -- or three weeks -- we've only sold around 2,000 poles. Take a look -- unsold stock of bamboo flagpoles are still piled up, while we have to pay the bamboo suppliers for the stock," he said on Wednesday, pointing hundreds of bamboo poles stacked beside a bamboo hut along the railway.
Dena, who hails from Rancaekek, Bandung, said his longtime bamboo supplier had sent him a stock of around 2,400 bamboo flagpoles a month before the campaign period started. A week before the campaign period, another supplier arrived and unloaded more stock.
"I thought we would sell a lot of bamboo poles, but it turned out there weren't many buyers. The most we've sold was about 100 poles a day, whereas in 1999, we could sell 1,000 poles in a single transaction," he said.
Prices range from Rp 2,000 to Rp 4,000 for the smallest flagpoles that measure 3 to 5 centimeters in diameter, while bigger flagpoles usually used to raise large banners cost Rp 5,000 to Rp 6,000 each.
Koswara, who comes from Tanjungsari, Sumedang, also bemoaned of slack business at his stall on the same road. He said sales were down, even compared to sales ahead of Independence Day on August 17.
"Sales would reach 500 flagpoles a week before the Independence Day celebration. From the start of campaign period until now, I've only sold 300 poles," he said on Wednesday.
Worse, he's had bad luck -- 100 poles of the smallest size were stolen early on in the campaign period, while he was on his way home to Tanjungsari, about 40 kilometers east of Bandung. "My wife had just given birth, so I had to go home," he said.
Slow business was also the reason why Wawan, 35, a bamboo flagpole seller on Jl. Soekarno-Hatta, sold them at wholesale prices. "Rather than being idle, I sell the small ones at Rp 1,000 to Rp 2,000 apiece, while I sell the bigger ones for Rp 3,000 at the most," said Wawan, who has been selling bamboo poles for three years.
The sellers said that the smaller number of political parties, 24 parties this year, compared to 48 in 1999, had triggered the drop in sales.
The bamboo poles sold in Bandung comes from Sumedang, as well as Cadas Pangeran, Nagrok, Cikoneng and Rancakalong. The big sellers in Bandung, including Koswara, Dena and Wawan, do not buy them directly from bamboo farmers, but through brokers. They are also responsible for half of the brokers' transportation costs, which could reach Rp 270,000 a trip.
Koswara said the harvested bamboo they sold did no harm to the environment as they obtained them from farms owned by Sumedang residents and not from the forest.
"Products from the forest are forbidden for environmental reasons. Besides, bamboo from the forest are rather black and their quality is not very good," he said.