Purun Puan Bags, of Women for Women Handicraft from South Kalimantan

TheIndonesia.id - An endemic plant of the swamp ecosystem, purun, is a weed that has become valuable in the hands of South Kalimantan craftswomen. Through the Purun Puan brand, craftswomen are now exploring the international market.

Purun Puan, the idea of Dini Hazzara, a creator who owns the House of Rafflesia and received an award from the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy (Kemenparekraf) when she became a finalist for the Indonesian Creative Appreciation (AKI). This Banjarmasin City woman empowers women in several villages in South Kalimantan with the aim of growing the economy.

Purun Puan has been around since 2019 when the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on people's incomes in the countryside. When the conditions were getting worse, Dini stepped into craftsmanship to provide inspiration for product processing and creating markets.

With an Rp2 million fund, the young woman offers several products that are created with sasirangan patterned fabrics typical of South Kalimantan and original purun through e-commerce. This product sold well.

After that, she got a loan of Rp20 million for Purun Puan's business development. This MSME from women to women has briefly developed and started to fame.

Several MSME development programs from banking are not missed by Dini. Some time ago, Purun Puan was selected to be one of South Kalimantan's MSMEs to participate in an exhibition in Japan, organized by Bank Indonesia.

Purun Puan also participate in displaying merchandise at the MSME Expo, the peak event of the Proudly Made in Indonesia National Movement (Gernas BBI) in South Kalimantan. The South Kalimantan Gernas BBI event was organized by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in collaboration with the provincial government and Bank Indonesia representatives of South Kalimantan. Purun Puan is one of 67 South Kalimantan SMEs recognized as the best out of 1,178 participants who registered to join the Gernas BBI.

In the future, together with these women, Dini is sure that they can meet the demand considering that raw materials are abundantly available in nature. The Purun Puan group can produce a variety of fashionable bags for women.

Apart from the economic side, this movement also raises the cultural value of handicrafts which has a long history of civilization in South Kalimantan.

High Demand in Bali

Purun Puan products, said Dini, are in great demand by buyers from outside Kalimantan such as Jakarta and Bali. "At the local level, there are few fans, mostly from outside the region," she said.

Dini really wants to open a shop in Bali for Purun Puan products, in addition to market expansion as well as a product introduction step to foreign people who travel on the Island of the Gods. Dini said that in Bali, handicraft products are highly valued.

To achieve this, Purun Puan requires special sewing machines and training in several craftswomen. Training is necessary because so far the group has been self-taught to create purun bags.

"Suppose I have a bag at home, after that, I disassemble it and find out the pattern and then sew it up. If you make a mistake, repeat it until it's good. No one will teach you," said Dini laughing lightly.

For the skills development and creative equipment, Dini used her own pocket money.

This purun plant grows abundantly in nature without the need for planting. It has straight hollow stems without leaves. There are several types of purun in South Kalimantan, such as rat purun (Eleocharis dulcis), lake purun (Lepironia articulata retz), and purun bajang. Its habitat is in flooded swamp areas, on the banks of rivers, shallow peat, and acid soils.

On average, in South Kalimantan, people who live in peatlands have local wisdom related to purun handicrafts. They use it to make bags, mats, hats, and agricultural equipment.