Conclusion and recommendations
The Small scale bamboo craft industry has a vital role in expanding employment opportunities and increasing the income of rural communities. The industry can employ a greater number of workers and its raw material grows abundantly in Indonesia. With relatively little capital, rural communities can develope this business and provide their own employment opportunities.
This research on small scale bamboo craft industries was conducted in Bali and Tana Toraja for three reasons. First, these two regions constitute the domestic and international tourist destinations that open marketing opportunities. Second, artisans at the two research sites have basic expertise in processing bamboo raw material into bamboo craft products. Third, the development of tourism in Bali and Tana Toraja have a direct effect on the growth of the small industry sector.
Bali has a presently developed and increasing potential in bamboo craft industry. In this region are found 821 centers of industry that can employ workers amounting to approximately 1,809 people. Though bamboo craft industries in Bali are small scale, bamboo craft products from the region represent a growing export to international markets. Research findings show that bamboo craft exports increased 40% on average per year in the last ten years. And there is an indication that the average price per unit of bamboo craft in Bali increase 27% in the last ten years.
The success of bamboo craft industries in Bali cannot be separated from the fact that the artisans in the region have a special expertise in combining local materials with modern designs. The cooperation between local artisans and exporters from foreign countries have succeeded in expanding the marketing of bamboo craft products. On the other hand, the bamboo craft industries in Tana Toraja do not show rapid development compared to those in Bali, due to the lack of modern design input from government and non-government institutions. In the mean time, bamboo in the Tana Toraja does grow abundantly offering potential to the development of bamboo craft industries in the region.
Although bamboo craft industries in Bali have created foreign exchange, the artisans in the region generally encounter common problems in terms of their lack of management skills, limited mastery of technology, lack of consistent quality control, delayed innovation in product designs, a limited market development plan, and difficulty in obtaining varied species of bamboo.
The life of bamboo craft industries depends on several factors such as the continuous provision of bamboo raw material, development of product capabilities and further development of the international market.
In terms of the provision of bamboo raw material, there is a need to cultivate specific bamboo species to support the ongoing development of bamboo craft industries in Bali. This is due to the fact that rural communities rely solely on uncultivated bamboo supplies available in their yards. There is also a need to provide management of bamboo plantations, a provision that would insure the efficient use of existing bamboo stands through cultivation and harvesting, processing techniques and treatment post-harvest.
Access to related technology is said to be highly relevant particularly in the attempt to improve the quality of product. Therefore, government and non-government institutions need to provide artisans with training in the technology in the production process.
In terms of the improvement of human resources, the Government in general and the Department of Industry in particular need to re-examine why training programs attract only bamboo weavers.
Credit facilities provided by state financial institutions play an important role in improving small scale industries in Indonesia. In the meantime, the majority of the small scale industries have little access to get credit. The definition of a small scale industry defined by Bank of Indonesia hampers the establishment and growth of small scale industry in Indonesia. Target groups will not be achieved since small scale industries rarely have assets amounting to 600 million rupiah. Further simplifying credit procedures will opening opportunities for small scale industry entrepreneurs to get loans.