Kampung Melilas Boosts Local Economy with Basket Weaving Initiative

Kampung melilas: Towards promoting local economic development in villages in the country is one of the goals of the Satu Kampung, Satu Produk, or One Village, One Product, 1K1P Programme. The programme is the Ministry of Home Affairs’ initiative to help communities develop and market their own products and services as well as improving the standard of living and socio-economic well-being of villages.

According to Radio Television Brunei, basket weaving has become synonymous with most residents in Kampung Melilas in Mukim Sukang. It began to be actively carried out since the 90s, now more than 20,000 baskets of various sizes are produced. Along with the passage of time, basket weaving, which used to be made of rattan, but now plastic is also used by combining various traditional motifs and contemporary geometry.

In basket weaving, rattan materials take less time to make compared to plastic materials. Aside from basket weaving, various types of woven handicrafts are also produced according to customer requirements.

Woven products by the Kampung Melilas residents are known for their fineness finish, strength, size and colour combinations. It is no wonder that they are often chosen as gifts or eye-catching items.