Sobat Bengok, as it is known that Rawa Pening is one of the favourite tourism destinations in Semarang Regency. Rawa Pening offers its beautiful natural scenery. There, you would see Mount Merbabu, Mount Telomoyo, and Mount Ungaran surrounding the swamp.

The swamp which has an area of about 2,670 hectares is also located in four areas, namely Ambarawa District, Bawen District, Tuntang District, and Banyubiru District. Although Rawa Pening is famous for its tourism potential, Rawa Pening also seems to have economic potential. In the Rawa Pening area, there are promising crops such as swamp fish and water hyacinth. Therefore, it is not surprising that the main livelihoods of the surrounding community are fishermen and farmers. This of course are able to boost the local economy.

Currently, the economy around Rawa Pening is progressing. Fish around it is not only sold raw, but the surrounding community has begun to process it into a typical Rawa Pening food. The community began to process swamp fish into various snacks such as Crispy Wader Fish and Crispy Cetul Fish for example. The taste is also considered to be able to compete with other processed fish. Meanwhile, water hyacinth which at first was only harvested and dried, now people are starting to open their eyes to process them into various very creative crafts. Many people are actively engaged working as water hyacinth craftsmen.

As Bengok Craft does as one of the water hyacinth craft businesses, it also invites and fosters local craftsmen to continue to be creative without limits. The products it produces vary from fashion to home decor. The market is also able to penetrate into export markets such as Singapore, Italy, and others. “Bengok Craft as a people’s business (we) want not only to seek profit but also to contribute by empowering the community so that it can help improve the living standards of the surrounding community,” said Firman Setyaji as the owner of Bengok Craft (02/06).

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