Temuwuh Villagers make a living through door way

Dlingo: bataviase.co.id : Temuwuh village in Dlingo district, Bantul regency, is better known as Kampung Kusen (the door frame village) with most villagers being woodworkers.Men and women young and old, all play parts in the residential woodworking industry, especially making door and window frames.Around 5,000 of Temuwuhs 6,800 inhabitants are said to make a living from the industry.The door frame trade in Temuwuh is known to have been handed down through the generations, and the door frame production process has continued to have developed.

Temuwuh village chief said the woodworking trade was first initiated in 1974.Temuwuh is a village in a hilly area, 30 kilometers from Yogyakarta."There are no vehicles out of the village so residents must walk 12 kilometers to the nearest town," said Basuki.The trade developed rapidly thanks to the monetary crisis in 1998 as many villagers who went to seek fortune in the city returned home after being laid off there."I used to be a trader and traveled up to Medan, Aceh, and various cities in Java but went bankrupt due to the crisis in 1998. "I returned home and have been selling door frames since,".

Equipped with trading skills, Sutedjo started out by selling door frames on a cart in Yogyakarta city.Now, he is able to sell to people in several cities in East Java.He said he could sell between 100 and 200 door and window frames weekly at a profit of between Rp 25,000 (US$2.50) and Rp 50,000 each.Another villager Suraji, 34, has encountered a similar experience.The moment the monetary crisis hit in 1998, he returned home and has now owned a kiosk selling door frames in Banyuwangi, East Java.

If Sutedjo and Suraji decide to sell door frames, Besari, who was alsolaid off as a metal craftsman, opted to become a woodworker.With startup capital from his severance pay of Rp 15 million, Besari began to sell timber for door frames.Each month, with 15 woodworkers, Besari is able to use four truck loads of timber, each at a volume of 5 cubic meters.He buys a truckload of timber for Rp 7.5 million and after producing 100 door frames, he can sell them at Rp 120,000 each.He can obtain a profit of Rp 20,000 from each door frame, after subtract-ing Rp 25,000 for labor costs.

"After the door frames are ready, villagers who sell them give them to other residents for finishing," said Besari.Another villager, Tugiran, 39, returned home in 1998 to become a woodworker.With the money he saved, he used it to buy woodworking tools.He produces 80 door frames a month now and earns Rp 25,000 from each frame. The door frame trade has further thrived and has become a source of living for villagers.