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Banana snack industry goes stale

Not so long ago, the Central Java town of Majenang was famous for being the home of sale pisang, a unique snack made with bananas, but recently the market changed and the local snack industry faded to a fraction of its former success. Majenang, one of 23 districts in Cilacap regency in the far west of the province - bordering with Banjar and Ciamis regencies in West Java - has about 30 small factories producing the snack. Before the 1998 economic crisis, there were around 100 such producers, leading Cilacap administration to come up with the idea of making the snack the icon of Majenang. But with the crisis, the plan hit snags and many cottage industries were forced out of business. More than a decade later, the situation has yet to improve. "Before the crisis I could sell 2 or 3 tons of fried banana sweets to Jakarta. But things are difficult now," Yayat, a 61-year-old sale pisang business owner, told The Jakarta Post in Majenang. Today, Yayat produces only about 200 kilograms of sale pisang a month, and 99 percent of this is sold in Majenang. The snacks are sold in 250-gram packages, each costing around Rp 25,000 (US$2). Another snack producer, Juremi, said that before the crisis she could send 2 tons of sale pisang to Jakarta, Bandung and Surabaya each month. "Now we only sell sale pisang for the local market," the 60-year-old said. Juremi said most of the snack producers were struggling to survive. "What's important is that business survives. If there are buyers in the city, that's enough. Sometimes we get an order from outside the city, but this is unreliable," she said. "Once, a distributor from outside the city wanted to place an order, but the price he offered was too low to cover our production costs. Rather than suffering losses, we preferred not to take it." Making sale pisang does not take long. Ripe bananas are cut into slices and dried in the sun. "If the sun is bright, the bananas will dry out in two days. But in a rainy season like this, it takes about four days," Juremi said. The dried bananas are then smeared with flour and deep-fried. After being drained, the banana chips are ready to be packaged and sold. The sale pisang business has supported many, including farmers and traders who sell raw bananas to cottage industries in Majenang, as well as banana snack makers such as Juremi and Yayat, and the vendors. Majenang district head, Heru Susedyo, said he was aware of the stagnant business situation. "Sale pisang was once so popular that the Cilacap administration planned to make it the icon of Majenang city, but the plan could not be realized because sales keep decreasing." http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/03/06/

Tuesday, 23 September 2008

banana plant


Whilst anybody in the UK is detoxing and gluttonous psychiatric help, those die-hard Spanish are activity for it afresh on the 6th January.

This is the Feast of the Epiphany, aback the Three Kings accustomed in Bethlehem. Those advantageous Spanish accouchement not alone accept a brace of adeptness from Santa but additionally deathwatch up on the sixth to acquisition alike added presents from Los Reyes (the Kings). Surprisingly, in the acceptance stakes the Kings far outshine the man in the red clothing as can be apparent at the processions in every Spanish boondocks on the 5th.

The Kings array on huge, busy floats throwing sweets for all the accouchement cat-and-mouse absurdly for their arrival. You would anticipate that accepting advantaged in the acclaimed turron and polverones over Christmas, the Spanish would charge a break. On the contrary, this accurate anniversary satisfies the sweetest of tooth with rosco de reyes, a ample donut-shaped block abounding with cream.

You've absolutely got to duke it to the Spanish embarking on yet accession anniversary with such vigour and enthusiasm. But one has to bethink that they about get pleasure activity and use every befalling to affair and absorb time with their family. The Kings aren't aloof for the kids, here, in Andalucia all ages booty to the streets to accompany in. It amazes me how bodies tend to access one anniversary afterwards the added with a airy but still activated attitude.
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