Handicraft entrepreneur endures tough time
BAU: Like other business entities, NangDee Resources specialising in Bornean handicraft products is now facing a very tough time due to the Covid-19 crisis.
NangDee Resources is wholly owned by a Bidayuh woman, Sandra Trinata Anak Kolerensius Sugeng, from Kampung Jagoi Serikin in Bau.
The company started its operation in August 2009, producing and selling handicraft products such as ‘kasah’ (rattan mat), rattan settee, rattan basket, rattan chair, rattan tray, and rattan ‘juwah’ (rattan backpack). Some are sold locally while the rest are exported to Malaya, Europe and the United States.
This popular ‘kasah’ (rattan mat) designed by Sandra is in high demand. 
This unique settee was designed by Sandra herself.
Sandra said her business was at a standstill, meaning zero sales since the start of the movement control order (MCO) period.
“No new orders received, confirmed orders couldn’t be delivered and payments are stuck,” Sandra told New Sarawak Tribune.
Sandra said prior to the MCO, she received a few orders, mostly rattan chairs from overseas and Malaya, but now she is unable to deliver them as there are no shipment services.
“It looks like I have to wait until the MCO is over and even then no one is sure when it is going to end,” she said.
Sanda believes that the orders stopped during the MCO as the products were not essential items and people preferred to save their money for more important things.
Although she is not earning anything from her business, she still pay for orders which she placed before the MCO and she also pays her the wages of her 30 or so workers who are home-based.
Her monthly overhead is between RM20,000 and RM30,000.
“I am not the only person badly affected. My friends who are in the business are also facing similar difficulties — no sales, zero income,” she said.
Sandra said she was supposed to take part in a few exhibitions and sales event in Miri as well as in Malaya, but all have been cancelled or postponed.
“This situation makes me very sad with but we have no choice but to abide with the MCO as we all want the pandemic to end,” she said.
She is hopeful that after the crisis and everything has returned to normal, people would come back to support the handicraft industry to recover.
Sanda said she designed most of her products which are unique and different from those made by other producers.
