Silkworms spin employment for thousands in Central Java

Silkworms spin employment for thousands in Central Java

By Ahmad Solikhan and Abu Ibrahim

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Under the blazing sun, five farmers harvested
Taztar curicula silkworm cocoons on their cashew nut farm in
Ngadirejo village, Wonogiri, Central Java.

As at the beginning of every dry season, wild silkworms have
swarmed over the cashew nut trees and devoured their leaves. But
cashew farmers do not count this as a loss because the animals
leave behind cocoons that fetch Rp 25,000 (about US$2) per
kilogram.

They sell the cocoons to a Yogyakarta-based businessman who
makes a lot of money through exporting spun silk to Japan.

The Taztar curicula silkworm, which locals call the golden
silkworm, can also live on uta-heite apple (Spondias dulcis) and
cinnamon (Cinnamomum burmani) leaves.

Unlike silkworms that live on mulberry leaves, the locals know
no technique by which to breed this particular species of worm,
which can measure up to five centimeters long.

The golden silkworm cocoon business began two years ago in
Kaliurang near Yogyakarta, Wonogiri, Blitar and Malang (both in
East Java) and several places in West Java. Until then, the
worms' economic value was not known.

Cocoons need careful handling, particularly in the harvesting
because they are easily damaged. They are taken down from trees
with bamboo poles.

Sukarno Adib, 50, a silkworm cocoon trader from Kaliurang,
says cocoons should be harvested no later than 20 days after they
have been built.

"Longer than 20 days, the cocoons will make a lower quality
silk," he said.

Between two and three ounces of cocoons can usually be
harvested from a single cashew nut tree. Each farmer can collect
about one kilogram a day, which Adib buys for Rp 25,000.

The cocoons are taken in special packages to Kaliurang where
they are cleaned and the outer layer of each cocoon removed by
workers that Adib pays Rp 10,000 per each kilogram.

Adib then sells each kilogram of cleaned cocoons for Rp 65,000
to a spinner in Kaliurang.

After being thoroughly cleaned, the cocoons are soaked in
boiling water and then spun by hand into threads. The yarn is
dried under the sun.

The Kaliurang cocoon factory started two years ago when Medik
International Corporation (MIC), a silk manufacturing company
based in Tokyo approached local entrepreneurs after it ran into
difficulty finding raw materials,

The Japanese company was overwhelmed by orders for top quality
silk and research had shown that several places in Indonesia were
suitable for golden silkworms.

Nanang Azrin, the manager of a thread manufacturing firm in
Kaliurang, said that MIC opened a branch in Kaliurang.

He recalls that Mashashi Hani, MIC's finance manager, provided
him with capital, production equipment and the offer of a regular
salary if he agreed to sell all his produce to MIC.

Azrin said the Japanese company ordered 3,500 kilograms of
silk a year, but he can only produce 980 kilograms.

To meet the increased demand, Azrin plans to open branches in
Blitar and Malang in East Java and several places in West Java.

Besides thread, Azrin's factory also produces pressed silk. To
produce the cloth, Azrin imports Japanese chiffon cloths, each
measuring 60cm wide and 60cm long, which he covers in special
glue. The cocoons are stretched and spread on the chiffon cloth,
pressed with a special tool, then turned outside in to obtain a
fine piece of cloth.

Today, Azrin employs 230 people, most of whom are women.

"Women are better at doing tedious jobs than men," he argues.

Nita, 20, said she worked nine hours a day, starting at 8 a.m.
in the morning, for which she gets paid Rp 180,000 per month.

Parto Dinomo, 70, works part-time peeling cocoons while
tending to her food stall. She sells tempeh, tofu and glutinous
rice cakes from a stall outside her house.

"Everyday I handle 1.5 ounces of cocoons and get paid Rp
1,500," she said.

The cocoon business in Kaliurang employs thousands of people.
It is most likely that none of them know that their handiwork,
after being polished off with modern technology, is sold as a
luxury good in Japan.

According to Azrin, a small bag with a silk trim could fetch
the equivalent of Rp 20 million in Japan. MIC products, he said,
are sold in upmarket stores in Japan.

Top quality silk imported from Indonesia is popular among
famous celebrities and the wives of senior government officials.
A silk kimono (night gown) reportedly sells for the equivalent of
Rp 300 million in Japan.

And the lucrative business benefits neither Indonesian farmers
nor Kaliurang's silk workers.