Bamboo handicraft help villagers earn a better living

Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Purwokerto

A woman carefully cleans a bamboo chair with a wet cloth while a group of six men nearby her busily cut and work with pieces of bamboo.

This is a routine scene around Kemutung Kidul village in Baturaden, Banyumas regency, Central Java. In the village, almost half of its residents depend on bamboo for a living.

With skilled hands, the bamboo is turned into an assortment of handicrafts, furniture or armchairs, which are made in a greater quantity than other items since they sell the quickest.

Craftsmen in the village said that the unique bamboo with a dark tone greatly improved their lives.

"We can even say that creating bamboo products is our main job. With no money to run other businesses, what else can we do. Besides, it's real hard to find a job," said 34-year-old Rusmadi, one of the local craftsmen in this village.

He said that village residents started to turn to the handicraft business when the country was first hit by the crisis.

"Before the crisis, there were bamboo craftsmen, but only one or two of them. But now, many villagers have become bamboo craftsmen," said Rusmadi.

Another craftsman, Sito Dwijo Siswoyo, 38, decided to get seriously involved in the business. In his workshop, Sito mostly produces armchairs with the assistance of nine workers.

Each month, despite stiff competition from other producers -- there are more than 200 people involved in the bamboo business -- he can sell about 700 armchairs. An armchair is sold at Rp 13,000, giving him a net profit of Rp 3,000 for each chair after workers' fees and production costs.

"The buyers mostly come from around the village, but they will sell the products again to other places, even outside the regency at a higher price of about Rp 30,000 each," Sito said.

He said some of his products were sold to other regencies in Central Java and also in Cirebon, West Java.

"If we sell the products in a faraway place, we usually take a large quantity with us. Then, we stay there for a week or two and will come home only when we have sold all our products," said Sito.

In one day, Sito and his workers can make between 30 and 35 armchairs. A worker is paid Rp 5,000 for each chair he makes. "On average, a worker can make three to four chairs a day," he said.

To create an armchair, the craftsman needs about one and a half bamboo stalks, which are sold at Rp 5,000 a stalk. "I usually buy a truckload of bamboo, amounting to 225 stalks, once a week," Sito said.

For the workers, the bamboo business has helped them make ends meet. "Rather than work in big cities, it's better to work in our own village," said one of the workers, Waslam, 24. For his work, he can bring home an average of Rp 20,000 per day.

The business also gives an opportunity to women in the village to earn additional money. When a chair is completed, these women will clean it for Rp 300 per chair.

"Not bad for our children's additional pocket money," said Turisem, who cleans some 20 chairs every day.