Change
Mr. Vo Van Dinh, Chairman of Bao La Bamboo & Rattan Cooperative (Quang Phu) said that after the implementation of the district’s policy of restoring and developing the crafts and craft villages, rattan cooperatives were gradually formed and supported with more resources.
Weaving helps to increase the income for Quang Loi locals at leisure
With supports initially focused on improving the product designs, artisans and members of Bao La Bamboo & Rattan Cooperative began to explore new designs. From a few dozen initial designs of baskets, the cooperative has developed to more than 500 new ones, creating jobs for nearly 150 laborers with an income of 2.5-3 million VND per month. With year-round orders and a turnover of over 2 billion VND per year, there is no worry about the market.
Thuy Lap Bamboo & Rattan Cooperative chose the way of mass-producing for commissions instead of artistic handicraft. Products of this craft village have found their place in many large projects such as the Laguna resort, large resorts in Lang Co, Da Nang, etc. Recently, the cooperative has been dissolved and reestablished as an enterprise in order to mobilize capitals and bring products to the market.
Mr. Tran Loi, owner of Thuy Lap Bamboo & Rattan Cooperative, said: "To produce in large quantities, we need to invest in modern machinery and apply science to production. At the moment, we are concentrating on investing in more equipment, and the number of orders has also increased significantly.”
Sauce, fish sauce craft villages have also gradually revived, with the Tan Thanh fish sauce craft village (Quang Cong) recognized as a traditional craft village by the province. Ba Giang, Ba Due fish sauce not only "covers" the market inside and outside the province, but some are even exported abroad by the small quota. Tan My fish sauce craft village (Quang Ngan), while has not yet been officially recognized, has already registered their brand and designs. Their products are currently present in most provinces and cities in the country.
Partner up with tourism
In addition to supporting the development of brand names, machines and design enhancements, the improvement of infrastructure facilitates the development and exchange of information with the outside through tourism-related activities for the craft villages.
| In the period from 2006-2016, the provincial industrial encouragement fund supported 27 CVs to invest in machines, improve product designs ... with a budget of 4.2 billion VND; the district spent nearly 900 million in support for 54 facilities. In addition to the support from the state budget, the Climate-Adapted Local Development and Innovation Project (VIE / 033) also provided over 350 million VND for two bamboo and rattan Cooperatives to train in designing products. |
Currently, handicraft production value accounts for 23.5% of the total production value of the district. The number of workers in craft industry accounts for 18.0% of the local workforce. However, the villages still grow in a spontaneous manner, with a lack of linkage between members, and market linkages remain narrow.
Chairman of Quang Thai People's Committee - Mr. Hoang Tuan Nam was concerned: Lai Ha wine craft village use to be famous, but now only a few households keep their production. Their products are sold only to locals in the village, not yet able to access a larger market. The commune has encouraged the households to cooperate and establish a wine cooperative, and then proceed with the issues of trademark, packaging and certification. However, there is no market for the products, and thus this ambition remains unachievable.
Quang Dien has taken many measures to step up market development, organized seminars on market development, trade fairs for small industrial and craft village products, as well as acted as a bridge between craft villages and the market. The district has also focused on developing policies to support brand and product development for craft villages; taking care of reforming administrative procedures, attracting investment, especially in the field of tourism, by encouraging tour operators to build tours to the craft villages.
According to Mr. Phan Gia Phu, Deputy Director of the Economic and Infrastructure Department of Quang Dien District, the district is currently focusing on the construction of a display area for the products from Bao La Bamboo and Rattan Cooperative; construction of showrooms to showcase craft village products at Con Toc wharf, District Trade Center as well as supporting communes, towns to build and design their own unique crafts, then proceed to register their trademarks.
Story and photo: Hoang Loan