Weaving Livelihoods from Coconut Fronds as Eid Approaches
JAKARTA — Woven coconut fronds hang in neat rows along Jalan Palmerah in West Jakarta on Wednesday (11 March 2026). The yellowish-green young coconut leaves are woven into ketupat rice cake wrappings and arranged neatly stretching along the roadside. The sight attracts the attention of road users passing through the area.
About 100 metres from Pasar Palmerah market, numerous coconut frond vendors’ stalls line the roadside.
As Eid approaches, demand for coconut fronds to make ketupat typically increases. For many families, ketupat remains a signature dish that is almost always served during Eid celebrations.
Yadi, one of the traders at the location, said he has been selling coconut fronds that can be woven into ketupat wrappings for a long time.
“I’ve been selling these since 2000,” he said when met on Wednesday.
He recounted that his decision to pursue the coconut frond business stemmed from high consumer demand. Since first coming to Jakarta to seek his fortune, he immediately chose coconut fronds as his livelihood source. Yadi revealed that he originally came from Serang, Banten. Without trying other work, he immediately focused on running this business.
Yadi, who works alone every day, said that the number of buyers usually increases significantly as Eid approaches.
“Some buy 100, some buy 200, some buy 50 — those are usually the ones who already know us or are selling themselves. So there are still buyers, but not as busy as when Eid is approaching,” he said.
He said that during the period approaching the religious holiday, sales can reach dozens of bundles per day.
“Sometimes even 50 bundles get sold out. So it’s definitely busy once Eid gets closer,” he said.
Most buyers, according to Yadi, are women who prefer to buy ready-made ketupat wrappings because it is more convenient.
“Yes, nowadays it’s rare for people to make them at home. Most just buy the finished ones. You just fill them with rice — it’s more practical than having to make them first,” he said.
Besides the increased number of buyers, the price of coconut fronds also usually rises as Eid approaches, due to increasing consumer demand.
Yadi said the price of one bundle of ketupat wrappings he currently sells is around 8,000 rupiah. However, this price typically increases in the days leading up to Eid.
“Right now it’s still around 8,000 rupiah, but usually when it gets closer to Eid it goes up to 10,000 rupiah. It happens every year — the closer to Eid, the higher the price goes because more people are looking for them,” he said.
He explained that the number of ketupat wrappings in one bundle also varies depending on the selling price.
“At 8,000 rupiah, one bundle contains 10 wrappings; at 10,000 rupiah you can usually get 13. So there’s a slight difference in quantity,” he said.
He noted that he has suppliers who send products to his stall, and he then pays them.