Fuel price hike, Bali bombings leave Troso weaving industry in limbo

Singgir Kartana, Contributor, Jepara, Central Java

The center of the Troso weaving industry in Jepara, Central Java, is facing difficult times, with the recent fuel price increases followed by the recent Bali bombings.

Times are so tough that many of the woven product producers in the region have been forced to shut down their operations, mostly due to the drastic drop in their sales.

Many of the weavers in Troso, located some 16 kilometers south of Jepara, say the fuel price increases resulted in a rise in the prices of the raw materials they use in their production, as well as higher transportation costs.

"At the same time, we cannot just raise the prices of our products. That would make them uncompetitive in the market, especially at a time when people's purchasing power is dropping because of the fuel price hikes," Troso weaver Bukhori, 27, says.

As weavers were trying to cope with the higher fuel prices, the Bali bombings delivered a devastating blow to the industry.

"After the bombings, orders from Bali stopped. Some buyers have not even paid their bills yet," says Muhtarom, 43, who says he has been involved in the weaving industry in some capacity for almost 35 years.

Indonesia's most prominent tourist destination, Bali, has been for years the main market for Troso's woven products, which are favorite souvenirs for foreign tourists.

Troso's weaving industry took off during the 1980s and 1990s, as the country's tourist industry experienced a boom.

So popular were Troso weaving products that producers were also exporting their goods to countries throughout Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

"During those years, I could sell up to 5,000 pieces of woven cloth a month at a value of some Rp 300 million. Now I am lucky if we sell 500 pieces a month," Muhtarom said.

Troso's weaving industry has been around since 1975. In the beginning, there was not much variety in the woven cloth being produced in the region, with most of the work in the Pekalongan style.

As more and more new products and motifs were created, producers began to expand into new markets. Apart from Balinese motifs, weavers also began creating products bearing traditional motifs from Lombok, Kalimantan and Toraja, as well as motifs inspired by India and Pakistan.

The products created in Troso included tablecloths, bedcovers, carpets and prayer rugs. Later, weavers expanded their products to include textiles.

Prices vary, from Rp 10,000 for a shawl to Rp 50,000 for a sarong. These same types of products are more expensive when made from silk.

Apart from their varied motifs, Troso woven products are also known for the quality of their color and the close-meshed threads.

There has been little effort by the weavers or the local government to improve the marketing of Troso's products. One effort that was made was for the Jepara regency administration to require civil servants to wear Troso woven textiles for their uniforms.

Yet, that does not seem to have helped market the products of some 200 producers in Troso that employ over 3,000 weavers, making it the second most important handicraft industry in the region after the popular Jepara wood carvings.

The recent fuel price hike and the Bali bombings have forced about one-third of producers out of business. Surviving producers have had to cut production and lay off employees.

Muhtarom, for example, previously had some 120 employees with up to Rp 500 million in sales a month. Presently, he has 40 employees and sales of less than Rp 10 million a month.

"Look, dozens of my manual weaving machines are not operating. I cannot afford to buy the raw materials," says Muhtarom.

Sutiningsih, 37, has been even less lucky. She was forced to completely close her showroom and stop all production.

She said she could no longer pay the production cost or her employees' salaries due to the drastic drop in her sales.

According to producers, Troso's weaving industry has been in a downward spiral since the first Bali bombings three years ago.

Many consider that devastating terrorist attack as the turning point for their once flourishing business. After the bombings, producers tried to switch their market from foreign tourists to domestic tourists and buyers.

"Actually, beginning last year we began to feel that business was beginning to recover. But the fuel price hike and the second Bali bombings again brought back the difficult times," Bukhori says.