Preserving the traditional glue-making craft in Nhon My

The Nhon My glue-making village in Nhon My commune has existed for over a hundred years, not only creating jobs for many local workers but also preserving the traditional craft of the An Giang countryside.

Workers are performing the process of spinning glue strings at a traditional craft village. Photo: HANH CHAU

Mr. Dinh Van My, owner of the My Do plastic wire production facility in My Thanh hamlet, Nhon My commune, shared: “Our facility specializes in producing black adhesive wire, investing in more than 20 wire winding machines, creating jobs for over 50 local workers, with an average income of 7-8 million VND per month for 2 people per wire winding machine.” Mr. My said that the facility has been producing since 2017, supplying the market year-round through traders who come to his house to purchase and deliver to distributors in Ho Chi Minh City and other provinces.

At Mr. My's facility, workers are concentrated and the atmosphere is bustling. On average, the facility produces over 30 tons of black adhesive tape per month, generating revenue of over 3 billion VND per year, with electricity, labor, and raw material costs accounting for more than 50%. This type of tape is used in industrial and agricultural production such as planting, tying trees, binding durian trees, and for domestic use.

The family of Mr. Nguyen Van Lap and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Kim Sang established the first adhesive tape production facility in Nhon My commune, contributing to job creation for local workers and preserving the traditional craft village. Initially, the family bought tape from Ho Chi Minh City to sell, then opened a production workshop in the locality. Mr. My and Mrs. Sang's facility has contributed to creating jobs for rural workers with stable incomes.

According to the owners of the craft villages, the process of making nylon rope involves many steps and stages. Large workshops melt and spin the plastic into nylon fibers, then wind the nylon fibers into tubes. In addition to working in the workshops, families receive the tubes of fiber and spin them into ropes. “The facilities have invested in machinery to improve efficiency, but this industry is mainly manual; technology hasn't replaced it yet. Products sell year-round, sometimes slowly, but the facilities still maintain production to create jobs for the people and to stockpile goods for sale when the market needs them. The finished products serve the domestic market and are exported to Cambodia,” Mr. My shared.

Having worked in the production of adhesive ropes since childhood, Mr. Le Van Tri, residing in Nhon My commune, said: "This job is the main source of income for my family. It's not strenuous work and it's close to home, so I can take care of my children while working." Ms. Dinh Thi Don, also residing in Nhon My commune, said: "I've been in this profession for many years, so I'm used to it. In the countryside, living expenses aren't high, so I do this work to earn extra income when I have free time." Having been involved in the profession for 7 years, Ms. Duong Thi An, who is currently working in the rope-making stage, shared: "My family doesn't own any land, so thanks to this job, I have an income to support my life."

Mr. Le Minh Nhat, Deputy Head of the People's Committee of My Thanh Hamlet, shared: "My Thanh Hamlet has over 3,500 inhabitants, and the people live by making glue ropes, earning a stable income." The craft village mainly produces two types of rope: nylon rope and black ribbed rope. In addition to production households, many households also do contract work such as winding ropes, making beads, and making ropes. The businesses have also invested in installing solar power and machinery to save on production costs. Many business owners in the craft village have even moved to Tay Ninh province to open glue rope production facilities.

However, in recent years, the craft village has faced many difficulties. The consumer market is limited, manual labor is still prevalent, and pollution is a significant problem. New planning for concentrated production areas is not yet feasible, and raw materials are scarce and increasing in price. For the craft village to develop sustainably, coordinated production linkages and environmental protection solutions are needed to ensure a balance between economic development and preserving the unique cultural symbols of An Giang province.

According to the People's Committee of Nhon My commune, the Nhon My glue production village has nearly 400 production households, creating jobs for more than 1,000 workers. On average, each household produces 200-300 kg of glue per day, earning 250,000-400,000 VND. Workers at these establishments have stable incomes of 6-8 million VND per month.

HANH CHAU

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/giu-nghe-day-keo-o-nhon-my-a485573.html