JP/5/HIO

JP/5/HIO

Joss stick producers lack capital to expand

Indra Harsaputra
The Jakarta Post/Malang

Joss sticks in various colors are lined up neatly in the front
yard of Suhendro Pangestu's house in Jedong village in Malang
regency, East Java.

Several workers are busy weighing sacks containing joss sticks
that will be immediately dispatched to various places of worship.

"Orders for joss sticks are quite high at the moment. My
workers have to do overtime to meet the high demand," Suhendro
told The Jakarta Post.

Demand for joss sticks has increases up to 100 percent during
each Lunar New Year or Waisak celebration, which this year fell
on Tuesday, compared to normal days. Joss stick producers can
reap monthly gross profits reaching 100 percent, ranging from Rp
17 million (US$1,800) to Rp 70 million.

Besides Bali, Suhendro must also meet orders from several
other cities like Surabaya, Pontianak and major cities in
Sumatra. A surge in orders not only comes during Chinese New
Year, but during religious celebrations, such as Galungan, Nyepi
and Suro.

Orders usually increase three-fold on average during these
holidays, but they are still below the sales volumes obtained
during Chinese New Year.

Nonetheless, banks not inclined to provide loans to these
businesses, despite the huge profits being made.

Suhendro acknowledged that banks were less willing to provide
loans to joss stick producers because they only cater to the
domestic market, whereas in fact, the prospects for exporting to
Vietnam, Cambodia and China has considerable potential.

Another deterrent factor was the inferior quality of handmade
joss sticks compared to machine-made sticks.

"A machine to produce better quality sticks is very
expensive," said Suhendro.

Before sending them to Bali, the joss sticks are packed into
sacks and covered with plastic sheets to prevent them from being
damaged by rain.

After packaging, the sacks are weighed and then immediately
transported by truck to Bali and other places.

The sticks, derived from the ribs of coconut leaves, are
brought in from the cottage industry producing the sticks in
Trenggalek, East Java. Suhendro orders an average of one ton of
sticks per day at Rp 1,800 per kilogram.

The process of making joss sticks is quite tedious, requiring
at least four days to finish. The sticks, measuring between 40
centimeters to 50 cm are first dipped in red paint.

A sticky substance made from starchy powder and fine sawdust
is then applied. After that, they are dipped into caustic soda
(sodium hydroxide) so that they will burn properly.

The sticks are then spread to dry for a day to make them more
resistant, and a powder made of coconut shells is applied. The
process is then repeated four or five times.

To make them more colorful, they are dipped in coloring
agents, usually black, red, green and yellow.