The Economy Generator

Everyone buys!
This is almost quite certain of everybody's doing along the year, moreover in the month of Ramadan. Well here is actually my note of experience getting along with mom to visit a place called market, a traditional market to be sure. The name of the market is just simple, “Pasar Cibengang” This is a weekly market located around 10 km from the house of mine – Cisewu.



Transported by motorbike, I, my sister and mom bought some goods for welcoming the Eid ul Fitr day.
Well, what a weird thing for most of you living in a big city is that the market here operates only one day within a week. That means we cannot buy or sell goods in a daily-based. But wait, we may do this if only we visit different market in the neighboring villages. To make it clear, here is the schedule of market opens in the sub district of Cisewu (Garut is its regency).

Sunday : Pasar Cibengang (10 km from my house)
Monday : Pasar Sukajaya (15 km from my house)
Tuesday : Pasar Mancagahar (13 km from my house)
Wednesday : Pasar Cisewu (200 m from my house)
Thursday : Pasar Cikarang (170 km from my house)
Friday : None
Saturday : Pasar Pasir Huit (9 km from my house)

A question might appear, why does the market only serve on certain day in a week? Why cannot the sellers sell their goods everyday?
Well, to my simple mind it is because of some factors as follows:
The people living in this countryside is few compared to the people living in a city. Pasar Caringin, Pasar Ciroyom or even Pasar Gerlong in Bandung cannot be compared because there are always people near those places. That means even if the market in Cisewu operates everyday, there is no guarantee that the sellers will have buyers or the goods can be sold.
My mon told me that the goods here in the capital of Cisewu sub-district are pretty much sold to outside the area. Bandung and Pangalengan are the two major cities where most goods from here are sold. The farmers or the sellers in Cisewu tend to sell more product there instead of here, the reason is simple, profit. In a short, there are no enough suppliers of goods needed here. As an example, fruits and vegetables are mostly 'imported' from outside the town.


The government seems never plans to make regulation to fully support us to have a daily-open market. In my opinion it will be just good if market opens everyday, though of course there will be many adjustments needed.
A traditional market is somehow an economy generator that will make the village live. Buying and selling are needed in economy as in that transaction there is activity of exchanging thing and money. The more transaction made in a town, the more money spread. This means the economy will always grows. As result, the income of people increases. If the income increases, the prosperity of people is supposed to increase, too. This is the main goal of every economy transaction.
Thing that can be done by us and government is to facilitate people both by making regulation and building some infrastructures. The appreciation to the local farmers and local products has to be given by making lowest standard of price so that they will decrease the goods sold outside the town. But this decision has to be followed by making infrastructure such as good ways and nice markets. The ways or road from quite remote areas such as Cikarang village is highly needed so that the goods will not be halted.

A traditional market maybe just a market. But to me, a market for Cisewuan is a place where they have a busy-ness and quite hectic thing in which they have quite seldom. I think the people here and in every small village need that thing in their lives. I myself saw a very touching moment when a mom accompanied her son shopping at Pasar Cibengang. They looked happy and got some sort of excitement in their shopping. People in big city may get lots of satisfaction by buying luxurious things at a mall or wherever. It will somewhat add their prestige, right? But for people living in a Cisewu, buying tofu, sandals, and new clothers for Eid Ul Fitr at traditional market has somehow imaginable gladness. Getting crowed, making bargain, asking neighbors and buying at a market are entertainment they for sure need to make their lives more meaningful. Doing them is part of their lives and I really want to color their lives by making something to improve the market and the village as well.