Run on gift baskets in Cikini

JAKARTA: Ahead of the Idul Fitri holiday, vendors selling rattan and wooden baskets near the Cikini railway station in Central Jakarta are enjoying a robust business.

People buy the baskets which are used to prepare special holiday gift packets for their families, friends and business colleagues.

"Usually we sell about 50 baskets a day, but now I'm up to around 70," Agung, a vendor, said on Monday.

The prices range from Rp 10,000 to several hundred thousands of rupiah.

He predicted that the brisk sales would continue to increase and reach a peak a week before Idul Fitri.

The buyers are not only from Jakarta, but also from nearby towns like Sukabumi and Bogor.--JP