Viewing page 60 of 64

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

Ann Soetoro
Rural Industries Consultant
Provincial Development Program
Field Trip to Madura
March 31 - April 12, 1980

SOME PRELIMINARY RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS

1. Eight out of sixteen first and possible second-year project villages have primarily female industries. (Another two use both male and female labor but separate the work places.) Since Madura is a conservative Islamic community, female pengrajin may not be comfortable working with an all-male extension service. The Department of Industry should attempt to recruit some female extension workers.

2. The rise in price of MDF from 70,000 Rp per tanki when the DUPs were sumitted to 250,000 Rp per tanki last week leads me to regretfully recommend cancelling the komporisasi programs in desa Bluto (Sumenep) and desa Klompang Barat (Pamekasan). While the traditional kapur industry is a wasteful user of precious firewood, we cannot ask villagers to operate at a loss. Some of the funds presently budgeted for construction of MDF kilns might be rerouted to a firewood replanting program using lamtoro agung or another fast-growing species.

3. Three of the sixteen first-year and possible second-year projects are to assist blacksmithing villages. The most interesting of these is the program in desa Somalang, Pamekasan. Modeled after an earlier successful program in desa Tambung to the south (kec. Pademawu), the project will attempt to convert smiths from using wood charcoal to the use of coke. Coke exists in large slag heaps near railroad stations where coal-burning trains formerly stopped. The conversion to coke would reduce the environmental damage caused by felling trees for charcoal production. A second advantage of coke is that it costs only one third as much as charcoal (25 vs 75 Rp a kilo). Conversations with smiths at Tambung indicate that coke produces a hotter, better, faster fire. The smiths at Tambung, however, have already gone through the slag heaps at Kamal and Pamekasan. They now get their coke from Kalianget and estimate there is a 5 - year supply left there at present rates of useage. Dinas Perindustrian tingkat I should conduct a survey to determine the remaining supply of coke on Madura and adjacent areas of Java. A second source of supply may be the coal-burning garam bricket ovens at Kalianget.

4. Blacksmiths often complain about the expense of replacing files. A single unit will use up 1 - 3 files a month (depending on whether they are doing edge filing only or some surface filing as well). Files are imported from such countries as Canada, Germany and RRT. The current price is ± 2500 Rp each. In desa Tambung, Pamekasan, smiths have devised a technique for refurbishing their old files by hammering in diagonal grooves. Could a smith from Tambung be taken to other project sites to teach them this useful technique?

5. Three of the first and possible second-year project villages produces a by-product suitable for animal feed: 

a. shrimp husks left over from the production of krupuk udang and petes in desa Kwanyar, Bangkalan, are suitable for feeding ducks;