Rattan cultivation and its benefits

Habitat

The subtropical and tropical climates that exist in Indonesian forests are suitable growing habitats for rattan. The growing scale of the area is also quite wide, ranging from marshy soil, calcareous soil, dry land to mountains with an altitude of 300 to 1000 meters above sea level. More than that, the rattan will be harder and less likely to grow.

Distribution in Indonesia & the World

This plant can be found in tropical forest areas near the equator, such as forests in Indonesia, Africa, Southern China, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Western Pacific countries.

In Indonesia, rattan occupies the second position after wood as a forest product commodity. Rattan producing areas in Indonesia include the forests of Sumatra, Kalimantan, Nusa Tenggara and Sulawesi.

Cultivation

Commercial rattan cultivation has been carried out in Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia. This business opportunity is quite promising, large diameter stems with good quality from C. manan, and small diameter stems from C. trachycoleus are able to grow more than six meters per year.

To get good quality rattan, planting is done under protective trees, such as in logged forest areas, secondary forests, fruit plantations and rubber plantations. The existence of cultivation is also beneficial for protecting wildlife, such as orangutans, which make rattan plantations the highest habitat in Kalimantan.

Rattan and Furniture

The most valuable part of rattan lies in the trunk. Stems that have undergone processing are used as raw materials for furniture. Rattan has several advantages compared to wood, namely it is lighter, stronger, elastic, easy to shape and cheap. However, rattan also has a weakness, which is that it is susceptible to pin hole powder lice and blue stain fungus.

Therefore, additional treatment must be given so that the rattan becomes durable, namely by cooking it with kerosene or smoking with sulfur according to the size of the stem.

Several types of rattan that can be found used for the production of chairs, tables, cupboards, shelves, and so on are the types of Manau, Batang, Tohiti, Mandola, Tabu-Tabu, Suti, Sega, Lambang, Blubuk, Java, Pahit, Kubu, Lacak, Slimit, Cacing, Semambu, and Pulut.

Woven rattan or mats are one of the rattan products that have high economic value, the finer and thinner the woven, the more expensive the price. Usually this product is favored by fans of antiques, and is used to block the sun on the windows and doors of the house.

Reference : https://rimbakita.com/ratan/