Domestic rattan industry complains over gloomy prospect

Domestic rattan farmers and businesses, which was known to have had a glorious era, have complained over gloomy prospects following a decline in rattan-based product demand, causing more than 50 percent of rattan home industries to close down over the past two years.

The condition has raised concern that the sustainability of the country's rattan business could not be maintained if the government failed to adopt a proper policy regarding the country's rattan potentials, Antara reported.

"The lack of a well-planned policy on rattan exports and the decline in demands for rattan products in the domestic and world markets are threatening the sustainability of the rattan business in the country," chairman of the Indonesian Rattan Business Foundation (YRI) Lisman Sumardjani said over the weekend.

Since 2007, the performance of the local rattan industries had begun to slow down and their number had been declining.

In addition, the 2009’s trade minister decree on rattan export restriction, which came into effect as of Aug. 11 last year, was seen by Lisman as something that could not bridge interest between the farmers and rattan furniture industries.