Provides Millions of Rupiah with Cicada

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At that time at 2:40 pm I visited one of the cicada entrepreneurs at Simpang Alue Penyareng, Gunong Kleng, Meureubo, West Aceh Regency, Thursday 7 December 2016. His house look like a miniature, painted pink and has a terrace to reduce the afternoon heat which is also has chairs and tables.

Andrian (18), a cicada entrepreneur, is sitting in front of the door watching television with his younger brother Rahmad (8) who is still in grade 2 of SD Negeri Gunong Kleng. Andrian is a Civil Engineering student at Teuku Umar University who recently graduated from Furniture Engineering at SMK Negeri 2 Meulaboh. He runs a business while studying.

"I started the cicada business since 2012 when I was in grade 3 of SMP Negeri 2 Meureubo," said Andrian.

While we were talking, suddenly Rosmiati the Andrian's mother came and served some cake made of purple sweet potato and two cups of coffee at the table where we were sitting.

"Take the cake, it's just been made," said Rosmiati with a smile and go back into the house.

After that Andri continue the conversation about the business he had been doing for a long time. Before starting the business, he saw his brother Pandu the Indonesian National Army (TNI) who served in the West Aceh Military Regiment Command looking for a side income by raising crickets and selling them for bird feed.

"I was inspired by the business, then I was invited to join the business and was given 2 ounces of cicada eggs," said Andrian while raise and holding his hand with some cicada egg.

Andri and his father Abdul Hasib (50) started a business since 2012 with startup fund Rp.100.000 to make a cicada cage made of plywood measuring 3x2 square meters.

This sweet black teenager, sharp nose and curly hair continued to explain very seriously, his hands occasionally rubbed his head and his face such the aura of a businessman full of spirit and challenges.

When interviewed, Andri took a cake and put it in coffee and put it in his mouth. "This is delicious, let's eat and don't be shy," Andri said in an interview.

Cicada will be harvested after 40 days and will be marketed to sellers and bird keepers in several areas, such as Aceh Barat, Banda Aceh and Aceh Selatan depending on the order. He sells for IDR 75,000 per kilogram.

Keeping crickets until harvest costs up to 15 kilograms of corn as a feed, the price of feed per kilogram is IDR 8,000. The young entrepreneur feeds his crickets 4 times a day, morning, afternoon, evening and night.

"Every time you give feed, the cage must also be watered with a spray bottle until it is moist so the cicada doesn't die easily" said Andrian.

In the past, before the appearance of Batu Akik (the giok stone), this sweet smiling young man was able to sell his crickets for 10 to 15 kilograms or IDR 700,000 thousand to IDR 1,200,000. However, when batu akik becomes the idol of the Acehnese people in particular, the income that can be sold is reduced to 5 to 7 kilograms or Rp. 375,000 to Rp. 525,000, because consumers are reduced.

"Now the bird seller has turned into an batu akik grinder," he said with a smile.

He once wanted to try to submit a funding proposal to the relevant agencies to help increase business funding, but it didn't turn out as expected. Adrian really hopes that the government, especially the West Aceh government, will provide a fund to the community to open a business. "Many people want to open a business, but there is no such a fund that also really needed," he said.

I posted this on my personal blog in Indonesian a few years ago.