Brick by brick, Abbas lays foundation for development

Brick by brick, Abbas lays foundation for development

KUNINGAN, West Java (Antara): It is backbreaking work making bricks for a living, but Abbas is content with his life.

It brings with it a feeling of satisfaction for this modest man from Pendeyrawey hamlet in Cikananga village of Kuningan regency, West Java.

He is happy to know that his bricks are used in the development of Kuningan, including construction of modern houses, better roads and bridges.

The 40-year-old got the feel of clay when he was a teenager.

"At that time, I helped my father make the bricks," said the father of an elementary school student.

After his father died, he carried on the business.

He works with clay as the basic material for his bricks.

"My family depends on clay," he joked. "As long as the earth still has clay, we won't starve."

He starts work at 6 a.m. and finishes at about 6 p.m., before the magrib early evening prayer.

There are three steps to brick making. First, he digs up earth to make the clay, cleans it and soaks it overnight. The clay is then molded into bricks and put in the sun to dry.

During the dry season, his weekly output is between 4,000 and 5,000 bricks. After being fired, they are left in the sun for about three days. Another three or four days are required in the cooling process before the bricks are ready for sale.

Wood, dried rice stalks and husks are used to burn the bricks, Abbas said as he carefully cleaned bricks in preparation to be fired.

Abbas said there was no problem in selling his bricks, even during the monetary crisis. In a month, he sells between 10,000 and 15,000 bricks at a price of Rp 65 each.

He charges slightly more -- Rp 70 per brick -- if he has to deliver them to local customers.

"But if I have to deliver them to a distant location, for example in another village, I charge them Rp 100 a brick."

There is competition from makers of cement bricks, called batako, but Abbas said he was unfazed. He pointed out that the cement bricks were targeted at a different market segment as they cost Rp 100 and Rp 150 each.

Although he uses clay from his field, he said he was not afraid of running out of the essential material for his bricks. There were no signs of erosion and also believed that digging up the land to excavate the clay was good for its regeneration. He only digs in areas with high land elevation.

During the dry season, people quarry the dry land in fields or in the area around riverbanks, especially in the Garawangi and Ciawi Gebang regencies, to get clay for bricks.

Asked about the pros and cons of his work, Abbas said: "If I can sell my goods, I am happy, but if the market is sluggish, I am sad."

He prefers the dry season to the rainy. The dry season is ideal for a rapid drying process; several months ago, it took him about three days to dry the bricks. During the current rainy season, it can take a week or more. As a result, there is a slump in output.

"That is the problem of the rainy season," he said.