Boatmakers stop production

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon

Skyrocketing prices of boatmaking materials and lack of orders over the last three months have forced fishing boat makers in Gebang village, Cirebon regency to stop production and return to their old profession, fishing.

Skyrocketing prices, triggered by fuel price increases, have made it too expensive for the boatmakers to produce.

"As soon as fuel prices were increased, it was hard to get affordable materials to build a boat. Prices jump so fast, especially teak, the basic material for making a boat," said boatmaker Toto.

The government raised fuel prices by an average of 29 percent in March this year, and it plans to raise them again in early October in an effort to cut the cost of the fuel subsidy.

Currently, a seven-meter boat is priced at Rp 13.5 million (US$1,350), from the previous price of between Rp 8 and Rp 10 million. An eight-meter boat is on offer for Rp 25 million, from the previous price of Rp 17 million.

The escalating prices, Toto said, made it hard to sell the boats, as their customers, who are mostly traditional fishermen, simply could not afford them.

"It's already hard enough go to sea, so how can they afford to buy a boat?" Toto asked.

Nanang, another boatmaker in Anjun village, Gebang district, had stopped producing boats for some time now.

"It's impossible to make a boat now. The materials are very expensive and we don't have the money. If we forced ourselves to make a boat, we couldn't be sure we'd find a buyer," he said.

He said at least Rp 6 million was needed to buy the materials to build a boat. The rest of the money was for paying the workers.

Although there was no exact data on the number of boatmakers in Gebang, Toto and Nanang reckoned there were at least a few dozen of them. "The experts in boatmaking are not many in number, but they employ many laborers, including fishermen who can also help," Nanang said.