Central Kalimantan (Greeners) – Amid declining rattan production in Katingan district, Central Kalimantan because of market access and insufficient price, Sakariyas, head of Katingan district, said that they have yet to give up developing and improving its potentials.

Based on the recent survey in 2018 by Katingan administration and WWF Indonesia, the potential of rattan covers at least eight sub-districts with a total of 104,572.23 hectares, comprises of 41 types of rattan.

From the total areas, it is predicted to produce 136,028 hectares per year of wet rattan and 12,695 tons per year of dry rattan.

“All kinds of efforts we have taken to restore the essence of Katingan rattan. We have been instructing farmers to do innovation, such as village innovation, inviting instructors to produce [rattan] crafts but still insufficient. We are not giving up and still looking for ways out of these problems of rattan,” he said in Katingan, on Thursday (31/01/2019).

READ ALSO: WWF Indonesia Assists Katingan Farmers to Increase Rattan Production 

In addition, Katingan administration develops cooperation with rattan processing industry in Java island, provides facilities for rattan management, set up schools for rattan management, facilitate rattan crafts training, and establish rattan farmers association. The efforts are part to realize the district’s vision as the production center and trade of rattan in Indonesia.

“We have done all possible efforts however the access to the market is difficult, we are at loss here,” he added.

The 2011 Trade Ministerial Decree on Rattan Export and Rattan Product banned raw rattan, original rattan, washed and sulphurized rattan and semi-finished rattan for exports to meet domestic demands.

However, domestic market turns out to be limited. In addition, plastic mix rattan products are cheaper and similar to original rattan.

READ ALSO: Ministry of Environment and Forestry Promotes SILIN to Increase Natural Forests Productivity 

Sabtul Anwar, head of cooperation, small enterprises, trade and industry agency in Katingan, said that there is a plan to establish a warehouse in Cirebon of West java to cut distribution costs for rattan products aiming to expand their access to markets.

“Currently, Katingan has four warehouses for storing rattan, three in Kasongan sub-district and one in Marikit sub-district. The idea to built the warehouse in Cirebon is to cut distribution costs. If we rely only once in eight months delivery, the selling capacity of Katingan is very low. Hence, the warehouse in Cirebon for wet rattan or semi-finishing. We need to ensure craftsmen in Cirebon to buy our products as we will routinely supply Katingan rattan for them,” said Anwar.

Reports by Dewi Purningsih

Central Kalimantan (Greeners) – Despite being the center of rattan production in Indonesia, Katingan district of Central Kalimantan is facing difficulties to access the market and low price from the farmers.

The district produces at least 99.4 tons of rattan per year from a total of 325,000 hectares as stated by Katingan Forestry Agency data in 2006.

“There is abundant rattan stock in Katingan, however, farmers are not too interested [to produce them] because of insufficient [selling] price. Farmers have hoped that rattan price can be in the range of Rp4,000 (US$0.29) per kilogram is okay, compare to recent extreme price fluctuations between Rp1300 (US$ 0,093) to Rp1700 (US$0.12) per kilogram. With that kind of price, it will not be able to support their lives,” said Rosenda Chandra Kasih, Manager Program of WWF Indonesia – Central Kalimantan, on Wednesday (30/01/2019).

Katingan district is dubbed the center of rattan production in Central Kalimantan as 50 percent of its people living near the forests are rattan farmers. However, because of the extreme price fluctuation, rattan farmers turned into oil palm, rubber farmers and gold miners.

READ ALSO: Ministry of Environment and Forestry Promotes SILIN to Increase Natural Forests Productivity 

Under the Sebangau Katingan Landscape, Kalimantan Forest-Freshwater program, WWF Indonesia has been assisting local communities, owners of rattan plantation, in three subdistricts of Katingan, — Marikit, Tasik Pawayang, and Kamipang –, which total covers 21,303 hectares, on forest management.

Kasih said that the assistance is part of WWF Indonesia’s conservation strategy to demonstrate sustainable rattan management, which is currently being facilitated by IKEA, a Sweden furniture retail company.

READ ALSO: President Jokowi Handed Over Social Forestry Decrees to Groups in West Java 

Irwan Gunawan, director program of Kalimantan Forest and Freshwater WWF Indonesia, said the program’s vision is to transform Katingan as the center of rattan production in Indonesia, to get Katingan farmers to produce end results of rattan and not just selling raw materials.

“We are assisting farmers to improve with their rattan preservation techniques, systematic harvesting, develop institutional capacity dubbed as Katingan Rattan Farmers Association as the think tank. Hence, all decisions are made based on the association’s decision not per families. The association is the only rattan association to be granted international standard certification for sustainability, FSC (Forest Stewardship Council),” said Gunawan.

Sakariyas, head of Katingan district or locally known as Bupati, said that the certification is expected to promote Katingan rattan reputation.

“Central government is thankful for WWF Indonesia program for assisting Katingan farmers. To be honest, it is difficult to restore rattan Katingan reputation. We have been working with business industries, CSR companies and invite instructors for farmers, but it is difficult to lift up rattan. We are hoping that with the program from WWF Indonesia can support rattan sector in Katingan, said Sakariyas.

Reports by Dewi Purningsih

Jakarta (Greeners) – President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo urged the implementation of Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) License as reward for legal and sustainable logging trade.

“Sustainable economics has become Indonesia’s main priority. Hence, I hope that FLEGT License can be immediately implemented,” said President Jokowi as quoted from an official press statement, during his meeting with European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker, on Thursday (21/4).

The meeting, which also attended by President of European Council, Donald Task, had agreed on reducing illegal logging and increasing legal wood agreement between European Union and Indonesia.

European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella said that the agreement would take place after Indonesia was considered to be ready to implement Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with European Union which covered all products suitable for FLEGT license.

“The announcement is a signal to market that it is possible to achieve sustainable forest management through legal and verified woods. The announcement also marked Indonesia’s position as the first nation to receive FLEGT license from European Union,” said Vella.

Photo: greeners.co/Danny Kosasih

Agus Justianto, senior adviser to Ministry of Environment and Forestry for Economics and Natural Resources, said that European Union only has three months to follow up the agreement, around July or August for Indonesia to begin first shipping legal woods to European countries.

Furthermore, Justianto said that the government had to clear off technical issues related to Ministry of Commerce Regulation issued in 2015 which declared wood exports with 15 HS codes free from being audited for Wood Legality Certification (SVLK).

Director of Agricultural and Forestry Products Export of Commerce Ministry, Nurlaila Nur Muhammad, said the regulation had been revised which declared all wood products, including furniture, were obliged to be legally certified.

Furthermore, Muhammad said that the industry did not object SVLK as long as European Union can implemented European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR) as soon as possible.

“If EUTR can be fully implemented, Indonesia will gain bigger benefits from countries who have yet obtained FLEGT License,” she said.

Agus Sarsito, senior adviser of Multistakeholder Forestry Programme (MFP), added that Indonesia’s remaining home work was to ensure small and middles scale industries comply and obtain SVLK certifications.

“There are 94 small and middle scale industries have yet to obtain SVLK but used Export Declaration. If using group certification, one group consist of five, then our budget will be sufficient to support them,” he said adding that if all operational procedures in Indonesia and European Union were completed then all Indonesia’s wood products would have to obtain FLEGT license.

Reports by Danny Kosasih