REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - Rattan craftsmen in West Kalimantan face supply shortage in raw materials, according to their representative at Trade Indonesia Expo 2014, Rupinah, here on Friday.

"Rattan as the main raw material for our handicrafts, is currently difficult to be found because of encroachment and the clearing of lands for large-scale oil palm plantations," Rupinah observed.

Rupinah noted that to keep their business going in some areas, the rattan craftsmen had to find or buy rattan in East Kalimantan.

"The demand for rattan raw material is high and can go up to 10 tons per month. We need at least 100 stems of rattan to make a rattan handicraft piece," he noted.

Anticipating the shortage of raw materials, craftsmen tried to grow rattan on 60 hectares of land, but their attempts failed as the rattan seedlings did not grow well, he said.

"If this situation remains, it will probably result in the craft business going bankrupt, and in the long run, it will increase unemployment and poverty," Rupinah explained, hoping that the government would help them providing raw materials or training the people to grow rattan.

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