Bird cage business booming in Argosari

By R. Agus Bakti

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Bird lovers are prone to pay a lot of attention to their animals. Most of them, however, do not think too much about their birds' cages, which they clean up almost everyday. All they know is that they can easily find a cage at most bird markets.

In Yogyakarta's Ngasem bird market, most of the cages come from Argosari village in the Bantul regency.

"My village is well-known as the center for birdcage production," said Samidi, one of the village's cagemakers.

Villagers busily making birdcages are a daily scene at the village. It's estimated that over 70 people in the village are involved in the business.

Samidi said he learned cagemaking skills from his father and his neighbors, just as most of the other villagers acquired the skill from their predecessors.

"You need patience and perseverance to make a cage," he said.

Simple tools such as pliers, hammers and saws are used to make the cages.

According to Samidi, one of the basic materials used to make a cage is old bambu apus, a type of bamboo tree which he can easily obtain since many of them grow in his village. The bamboo is then cut into desired lengths and turned into rods with a diameter of about 3 mm each.

The frame of the cage is made of rattan, which is chosen based on its flexible and durable nature. The length of rattan will depend on the type of cage and the size of the birds. For a small turtle dove, for example, the cage is somewhat oval, while other birds usually have square-shaped cages.

In the making of a birdcage, Samidi gets help from his wife, Suparniatun, and his younger brother. Sometimes, he receives unpainted cages, known as putihan (white object) due to its color, from his neighbors.

Every month, Samidi produces at least 100 cages for small turtle doves.

"I don't have to hurry when making a cage. It all depends on my health. Time is not a factor. I can make it even at night," he said.

Besides selling his work at the Ngasem birdmarket, Samidi also sells about 50 cages regularly to the Pramuka birdmarket in East Jakarta. Birdcages from the village can also be found in other cities such as Surabaya and Semarang.

Some bird lovers also come to his place to specially order cages for their pet animals. Usually, the specially ordered cages are painted according to the buyers' desired colors and sometimes the cages are engraved. A cage with engraved motifs may cost a bird lover hundreds of thousands of rupiah each.

Samidi said that he found no problem in marketing his works.

"The only problem is, we need more capital to develop the business," the father of four said.

Aesthetic factors in creating a birdcage, according to him, are also an important factor.

"These cages will be placed in houses, right. If they look pretty the owners will be proud, especially when the birds sing," he said.

According to him, the type of cage and bird can determine the social status of the owner.

"So, usually bird lovers will not hesitate to spend a lot of money on their hobby, including on obtaining the right cage for their birds," said Samidi.