Buleleng Bamboo Crafts, Gede Suarsa Earns Income of IDR 5 Million a Month

BULELENG, GARISBUMI.com – Gede Suarsa Ariawan processes bamboo into pens, tumblers, straws and even ashtrays with a touch of traditional Balinese art. Through the Manasa Handycraft business, which was started in 2019, the resident of Sinabun Village, Sawan District, Buleleng Regency, Bali, earns an income of around IDR 5 million per month.

The raw materials available around the village became capital for Gede to develop bamboo crafts. His business started from making pens, then developed into various products for daily needs.

"Initially I made pens from bamboo. The raw material is not too difficult to find," said Gede when he was found working on his product, Friday (9/10/2026).

A number of these crafts are decorated with images of Balinese cultural nuances, including wayang characters. This touch gives Manasa Handycraft products a distinctive characteristic while also introducing regional cultural identity to buyers.

Bamboo pens decorated with puppets starting from IDR 25 thousand

Bamboo pens are one of Gede's mainstay products. Making it begins by selecting dry bamboo, then cutting it into a pen body about 12 centimeters long and a cap about five centimeters long.

The bamboo pieces are then sanded until smooth before being decorated. Gede draws wayang characters directly on the surface of the pen without using molds or printed patterns.

"It takes about two minutes to draw the wayang because I draw directly, not using a mall," he said.