Banjarmasin Builds "Ketupat" Center

Banjarmasin, (Antaranews Kalimantan) - Banjarmasin City Government through the Water Resources and Drainage Agency or SDA plans to construct river embankment in Pekapuran village to strengthen it as "Ketupat" a culinary center.


"Slum on the banks along River Martapura in Pekapuran will immediately released and now in the process of compensation," said Head of SDA Muryanta to Antaranews Kalsel here on Wednesday.

When the riverbanks have been released from a derelict building, it will soon be built to become a tourist area like on Jalan Piere Tendean and Jalan Sudirman.

Funds provided Rp35 billion obtained through the help of the central government through the Balai Besar sungai of Ministry of Public Works.

While the length of the river banks to be built 350 meters, between Dewi Bridge to the Mitra Shopping Center, and now in the auction process and the expected in 2016 to be completed.

Pekapuran not only as a river tourist area, but at the same time as a culinary center, especially Ketupat (a type of dumpling made from rice packed inside woven palm leaf pouch)‎, considering the location of a lot of the ketupat artisans.

Ketupat artisans in the village now difficult to count, because they spread in the environment of RT 1, RT 2, RT 3, RT 4, 5 RT, RT 6, up to RT 7.

Originally it was just a native inhabitan who made ketupat, but after a promising economic potential so many recent immigrants who also chimed into the ketupat craftsmen.

In the village they are not only weaving palm leaves and leaves skin nifah into ketupat, but not a few who become wholesalers, retailers, until they are acting as a raw material seekers of palm leaves and leaf nifah.

People crowded to buy ketupat, especially in eve of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha buyers will increasingly crowded.