The Odyssey of Ngatini, Bantul's Bag Artisan

BANTUL (22 April 2024) - Ngatini, a 58-year-old resident of Selogedong, Argodadi Village, Kapanewon (District) Sedayu, Bantul Regency, DI Yogyakarta, deserves our admiration for her perseverance. Her hard effort is starting to pay off. This nylon bag maker is beginning to reap the benefits of her labor as a supplier of woven bags to bag merchants at Yogyakarta's Beringharjo Market. Beringharjo Market, located on Malioboro Street, is one of Yogyakarta's most popular tourist spots, always bustling with visitors.

During peak orders, Ngatini can hire up to 17 of her neighbors. She can make more than 50 bags each day for a minimum profit of IDR10,000 per bag. Even throughout the holidays, Ngatini is swamped with supplying bags to various tourist destinations.

She crafts various types of woven bags, ranging from small to large sizes. The bags sell for between IDR 15,000 and IDR 300,000, depending on the size and complexity of the weave. It's no surprise that Ngatini's bags, with their low costs, attract a large number of clients, particularly tourists. Ngatini caters to the lower to middle-income market segment, making her pricing affordable for travelers.

To expand her market reach, Ngatini sells both offline to dealers and online through one of Indonesia's leading e-commerce platforms. Her child manages her online store, shopee.co.id/ngatstore, which already has over 10,000 followers. Thousands of woven bag products have been sold online through an account that boasts a 4.9-star rating. Buyers come from a variety of locations, including Java, Bali, Kalimantan, and even overseas.

Ngatini's weaving expertise once led her to work for a well-known woven bag manufacturer in Yogyakarta. However, she decided to leave her job and establish her own woven bag business.

Ngatini's business was temporarily halted during the Covid outbreak, when the tourism industry also suffered. However, her spirits were lifted when she received business help from the Ministry of Social Affairs in the form of weaving materials and equipment under the Nusantara Economic Hero (PENA) program. "My business was stuck for a while, but after receiving PENA assistance, my business resumed smoothly, and I regained enthusiasm to develop it further," said Ngatini.

She aspires to continue expanding her business to create more job opportunities for the local community. Ngatini's dedication and tenacity demonstrate that hard work always yields positive outcomes.