Siti Aisyah was busy weaving oil palm fronds with several women on the terrace of a house in Pangkalan Kerinci, Pelalawan. These piles of sticks which come from palm fronds that could be used to produce a variety of handicrafts, such as plates, trays, fruit holders, cup holders, and other handicrafts to generate the income of the villagers.
This group of residents of Mekar Jaya SP5 Village, Pangkalan Kerinci, Pelalawan Regency, Riau Province has a gallery named Maju Jaya Lidi, which has succeeded in utilizing oil palm fronds to become economically valuable handicrafts since 2018. All members of the Maju Jaya Lidi Gallery are oil palm smallholders, most of them are Asian Agri partnered smallholders.
Apart from being a spare time filler, this oil palm craft has now become an alternative income for Mekar Jaya villagers. Klumpuk, a member of Maju Jaya Lidi who is also a partnered smallholder of Asian Agri, said that her plantation is currently being replanted, so she needs another source of income.
Read the complete news in Riau Terkini.
