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Farmers work as cattle keepers for Idul Adha
Idul Adha, or the Day of Sacrifice, has proved to be a fortunate event for a number of Lampung farmers as they were able to earn some extra money by keeping cattle while awaiting the upcoming planting season
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dul Adha, or the Day of Sacrifice, has proved to be a fortunate event for a number of Lampung farmers as they were able to earn some extra money by keeping cattle while awaiting the upcoming planting season.
Supriyono, 44, a farmer from Rejokaton village in Raman Utara district, East Lampung, has been in Batam since July to keep dozens of cows owned by a cow trader, who transported the cattle from his village.
'The cow trader asked us farmers if we would help him keep the cattle in Batam for a few months until they were slaughtered for Idul Adha,' said Supriyono, who arrived in Batam with 10 other farmers.
'Since we found it hard to get non-farming jobs in Lampung, we decided to accept the work while waiting for the planting season to begin between November and December,' said the father of two.
He added that there was only a small flour factory in his village, which did not require many workers and so offered little opportunity of work.
'I don't earn much as a farmer. I want to have a bigger farm, but I cannot afford to buy more land. Being a cattle keeper has been my side job for the last three years,' he said, adding that he owned a 2,500-square-meter paddy field.
Supriyono added that as a cattle keeper, he earned Rp 1 million (US$91) per month.
The cattle owner also provides the farmers with accommodation and one meal per day.
'This year, we kept around 224 head of cattle,' Supriyono said at the Animal Care and Quarantine Center, owned by the Batam Free Trade Zone Management Agency (BP-FTZ).
During Idul Adha, the place is usually packed with temporary cattle keepers from regions outside Batam.
Another farmer, Ayat Setianto, 42, concurred. 'It's not easy to find off-farm jobs in our village. Being a cattle keeper is not bad since I usually take home around Rp 4 million, which is enough to pay my children's tuition fees,' Ayat said, adding that the farmers would return to Lampung on Friday.
Habib, a cow trader, said that cattle keepers from villages outside Batam, tended to be more careful when tending the cattle.
'It's not easy to find cattle keepers in Batam. And if you do, he may demand a high wage,' Habib said.
