Replant to replenish dwindling sources of rattan

MIRI: The Penan community in some villages and longhouses in the interior of Baram are on the verge of losing their source of rattan if no effort is made to replant it.

Long Bedian Senior Administrative Officer ( SAO) Ezra Uda told The Borneo Post that some villages may have to seek the raw materials from elsewhere to create household items such as mats and baskets to supplement their income.

“I received reports from the Penan community from some villages and longhouses in the interior of Baram that they are facing difficulties in getting the right and suitable rattan for their work. They may have to seek them from elsewhere and it will cost them more,” he added.

So he called for relevant agencies to replant rattan in areas where they had been over harvested.

Ezra commented: “There has been some improvement in the quality and standard of their household handicrafts with training from government agencies and bodies such as the Agriculture Department.”

According to Ezra, guidelines and assistance provided by various agencies and bodies help them improve their workmanship so their products could go beyond the local market.

“They must be able to combine modern and traditional elements and design in their workmanship to penetrate international markets. There are restrictions on materials such as tree barks and seed or animal skins by countries such as Australia,” he said.

Apart from that they should be given the guidance and knowledge and skills in marketing and promotion.