Rattan Farmers Need Government Attention

Sampit, Central Kalimantan, June 13 (Antara) - Rattan farmers in Kotawaringing Timur district, Central Kalimantan, have asked for central government attention to their fate after a ban on the export of raw and semi-finished rattan. "Following the ban on the export of raw and semi-finished rattan, the income of many rattan farmers here decline because many rattan factories in Indonesia are unable to buy the commodity," said Basuni, a rattan farmer here on Thursday. Basuni said that since the ban on rattan export was enacted late 2011, there was no intervention from the central government to help the rattan farmers face the difficult situation. "Government promise of solution such as the enactment of the warehouse receipt system has not been proven until now, while the rattan farmers are struggling to survive," Basuni said. He said the rattan export ban regulation, instead of increasing investments in the region, has made a lot of rattan farmers because it has has resulted in unemployment. Therefore he urged the government to immediately lift the Trade Ministry`s Regulation No.35, 36, 37/2011 because it has been impeding the livelihood of rattan farmers and entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, Dahlan Ismail, another rattan entrepreneur here, explained that the government should review first before issuing the ban on the rattan export. "The government must seek a concrete solution because its promise of warehouse receipt system has not been realized," Dahlan said.