MUNAU ANAK JAWA¹

Wi lalis (Plectocomiopsis geminiflora) is a climbing palm with thin, flexible stems and leaves with curves spines. The young shoots are edible and grow from a persistent root, so shoots can be harvested in reasonable numbers without killing the plant. It is known from Burma and Thailand south to Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo (Dransfield, 1992). It is common in Sarawak and widespread in secondary forests (such as after shifting cultivation). It grows on clay-rich alluvial soils and hill slopes up to 250m (Ashton, 1964). There is no commercial cultivation of wi lalis in Malaysia, but a trial plot with 50 plants was established at Layar Agricultural Research Station at Betong in Sarawak in 1993, and harvesting began in 1999.

The study area is at Nanga Sepaya longhouse on the Engkari river, a tributary of Batang Ai, within Lubok Antu district in Sarawak. The study site is mountainous with a lot of secondary vegetation. To the north is Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary and to the east is Batang Ai National Park.

The Engkari people are known to collect wi lalis for sale, and the sustainability of the harvest is an issue if they are collecting in one of the totally protected areas. On the other hand, cultivation of wi lalis might be a suitable for integrated community development project (ICDP) to take pressure off the resources of the TPAs and provide a sustainable alternative source of income.

An interview questionnaire of all household heads was used to find out the number of collectors, when and how often they collect, how much they collect, how they sell and the price per bundle.

Observations were done for one week at the market in Lubok Antu to observe the main buyers and sellers. A few sellers were also interviewed informally about their main buyers.

Information was also obtained from Lubok Antu Local Council officer, Mr. Awang Said.

All 49 household heads were interviewed and 31 (63%) of the households were rattan collectors.

Individual collectors go on average three times per month; they do not go every week because it is too tiring. They collect on Fridays and Saturdays in order to get as much as possible to sell on Sunday.

The average amount collected was 32 sticks per collector per week or 1152 sticks per year. This amounts to 44,930 sticks for the whole longhouse per year, which is a large volume of wi lalis from the wild every year.

All the rattan was sold at Lubok Antu. Collectors with small quantities asked a friend to sell for them, but there was no market at the longhouse. The reported price per bundle was RM1. A bundle usually consists of two sticks, sometimes three if they were small.

The observation at Lubok Antu market showed that the collectors themselves were the sellers, they did not go through a middleman. The three sellers interviewed said that the main buyers were Iban, although Chinese and Malays purchase small quantities.

The local council officer informed me that all the wi lalis is from the Engkari area except for a small amount from Indonesia. Wi lalis shoots are in high demand by the locals. The sellers do not have regular customers.

Income to the longhouse
On the basis of the figures given by interviewees, sales of wi lalis for the whole longhouse amounted to RM 22,465 per year. Transportation costs were estimated at RM 10,150 per year, giving a profit of RM 12,313 per year. The average for the 31 household that were involved with the collection was RM 724 per year or RM 60 per month. This is a significant amount, although it is less than the amount they make from pepper sales.

Sustainability of current harvesting level
Collection is limited by the distance people have to go to find wi lalis. The job is suitable for young people and it was reported that it was too tiring to go every week. This suggests that harvesting is unsustainable, and that a ready supply of cultivated wi lalis would be worthwhile for the collectors.

Market
The demand for wi lalis exceeded its supply. At RM 1 per bundle the supply is sold out in the market within few hours. There is still demand at the higher price of RM 1.20 and it is not clear why the suppliers do not raise the price.

The Iban community at Nanga Sepaya collect a lot of wi lalis shoots from the wild, mainly for sale. The vast amount of effort and time involved in the collection of wi lalis is a disadvantage.

This research shows that wi lalis currently gives significant income to the longhouse and there is a good market for this product in Lubok Antu. If the trail plots of wi lalis at Betong Agriculture Research Institute are successful, a cultivation project could begin at Nanga Sepaya.

REFERENCES

Ashton (1964) Specimen collection in Mujong, Balleh, Kapit division. Internal report, Forest Department Herbarium, Kuching

Dransfield, J (1992) The rattans of Sarawak. Royal Botanic Garden, Kew and Forest Department, Kuching.