Narrator: It's 8 a.m. in Indonesia,
and Sarimanto is harvesting rattan
in the rainforests of Borneo.
Depending on the length and thickness,
just one pole of exported rattan can cost $35.
That's over three times the cost of a similar bamboo pole.
And when it's woven into furniture,
a rattan chair can cost over $2,000.
But to get his hands on rattan,
Sarimanto often has to harvest it
in difficult and dangerous conditions.
So why is rattan so hard to harvest?
And is this what makes it so expensive?
Rattan is a climbing palm vine
that grows on rainforest trees.
It flourishes in the tropical climate of Indonesia,
which accounts for most of the world's rattan supply.
Often, rattan is incorrectly referred to as wicker,
which isn't a material but a style of weaving.
Other materials, like bamboo and sugarcane,
can also be made into wicker products.
Rattan, however, is coveted
because it can be bent and manipulated more easily,
making it more versatile than the alternatives.
But harvesting rattan is tiring and risky.
Just after dawn, Sarimanto begins his journey
to the rainforests of Borneo by boat,
carrying all he needs with him.
After an hour's boat ride,
Sarimanto arrives at his destination:
a plot in the rainforest
that his family has owned for decades.
Here, he has to figure out
which rattan vines are ripe enough to harvest.
Narrator: The rattan that's ripe for harvesting now
was planted at least seven or eight years ago.
If Sarimanto harvests too soon,
before the rattan turns green
and the outer bark detaches from it,
he'll cut into his own profits.
Narrator: When they've found the right vines,
harvesters use machetes to cut them out of their clumps.
But wild rattan has thorns, just like rose stems.
So they have to carefully navigate the thorns,
for their own safety and for the rattan to be sellable.
The thorns aren't the only dangerous part of the job.
And neither is the boat ride,
even during the rainy season.
Wild animals are Sarimanto's biggest threat.
Narrator: When he has harvested as much rattan
as he can carry,
Sarimanto must make the trip back home
to prepare the rattan for sale.
Narrator: After he returns,
Sarimanto soaks the rattan for least three days,
so the skin is easier to peel when it's processed.
Raw material is the basis of all rattan goods,
but it has to pass through many hands
before it can reach its full value.
Sarimanto sells his raw rattan
to producers like Rusniyati,
who send workers to pick up the rattan and process it.
While Rusniyati can buy raw rattan
from harvesters like Sarimanto at an affordable rate,
she still has the cost of preparing the rattan for weaving.
That includes wages for workers
and electricity for machinery.
Narrator: Those 50 kilos will last her
about two to three months.
And the costs are even higher for larger producers,
who are often located further from the processing sites.
That typically requires more transportation
and higher expenses, especially during rainy season.
If there's flooding, it could take longer
to get from the harvesting location to the producers.
And these challenging work conditions
mean buyers may have to pay the middlemen more.
Most importantly, it's crucial that the rattan stay dry.
Narrator: Once middlemen collect the raw rattan,
they can begin processing it.
They treat thinner rattan by placing it in tarps
and smoking it with sulfur,
while thicker rattan is boiled in oil.
This process takes a day or two.
Then it's dried in the sun to remove all moisture.
That takes another two to three days.
Depending on the processing costs,
just preparing the rattan
can cost half of what Rusniyati sells in a month.
Narrator: Rusniyati sells small handmade rattan items,
such as plates and baskets.
She'll price each one at a little over $10 to sell locally.
A similar basket sold internationally by a larger retailer
can go for over $100.
And it's likely they'll sell,
because the demand for rattan goods is high.
Rattan is a multibillion-dollar industry,
and the rattan furniture market
is anticipated to grow 5% by 2027.
But this isn't the first time rattan has been popular.
Wicker made with rattan became popular
in Europe and the Americas during the Victorian era.
The invention of synthetic wicker,
which can withstand tougher weather,
brought the material back into style in the 1970s.
It made another comeback in the late 2010s
for its "boho" aesthetic.
But while demand for rattan furniture is increasing,
raw-rattan harvesters are seeing smaller profits
than they have before.
Narrator: Sarimanto will sell the 70 kilos
of raw rattan he harvested for $10.
That's 7 cents per kilo.
But in the 1980s, raw-rattan harvesters
were getting 10 times as much for that amount.
Sarimanto attributes this loss to a 2011 law
passed by the Indonesian government
banning the export of raw or semi-processed rattan
to foreign countries.
Leading up to the law,
Indonesia was dealing with deforestation
and overharvesting of rattan,
causing supply shortages.
The law aimed to prevent exports of raw rattan
and benefit domestic producers.
It also helped limit how much rattan could be harvested.
It was mainly large-scale producers
that benefited from this shift,
leaving harvesters like Sarimanto
struggling to make ends meet.
That's why Sarimanto and harvesters like him
want the government to change the trade laws
and ease their burdens.