Products from sedge are increasingly improved in quality and design.

Improve skills

Phong Dinh Ward is famous for its traditional craft village of weaving palm mats. Over the years, the craft village has received investment in infrastructure, machinery, as well as support for promoting and consuming products. However, people's income is still low, products are not diversified and do not meet the increasing demand of the market. Therefore, product output still faces many difficulties.

To contribute to solving this problem, recently, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency approved and signed co-financing agreement No. VIE/039 25 3639 with Maries Company Limited within the framework of project VIE/039 funded by the Luxembourg Government in Hue city.

Mr. Le Thanh Bac, Deputy Director of the Luxembourg Project Management Board, informed that the project focuses on training basic weaving skills and improving skills for women to produce sophisticated, higher-value products, contributing to increasing income and creating stable jobs. The project also builds comprehensive training programs for sales and marketing staff; supports and encourages local farmers to expand the area of ​​​​lemongrass cultivation. At the same time, it invests in building standard storage locations, preventing insects and rodents, installing a system of shelves to classify and manage raw materials effectively; invests in tools and materials necessary for the natural dyeing process to expand the product color palette. These activities both ensure product quality and promote the introduction of creative designs, increasing the differentiation and attractiveness of products in the market.

Affirming the role of women

Within the framework of the project, at least 30 women will be trained in basic weaving skills, of which 15 women will participate in advanced training sessions to improve their skills; 15 women will participate in advanced training courses to produce sophisticated products with higher value. Accordingly, the average income of women trained in the first year ranges from 1 to 3.2 million VND/month, depending on their skills after training. The annual income is expected to increase by 5-10%. In the next stages, Maries Company Limited will continue to support other women in the craft village to participate in the cooperation, creating 5 new jobs in the stages of edging, lining, painting and design.

Ms. Ho Thi Suong Lan, Director of Maries Co., Ltd., said that previously, the company had supported training to improve skills as well as cooperated with a number of local artisans and weavers and promoted trade for craft village products. Thanks to that, the number of artisans and weavers participating in the production chain of Maries Co., Ltd. had a fairly stable income. The implementation of training programs on weaving skills from basic to advanced not only helps to improve weaving and design skills, use appropriate and friendly colors, but also creates opportunities for artisans and weavers to expand cooperation with the company as well as other businesses. In addition, the company also builds comprehensive training programs including training stages for sales and marketing staff, product trade promotion to ensure quality, diversify products and promote the introduction of creative designs, suitable for the increasingly competitive market today.

Mr. Le Ba Phu, Head of Dong My residential group, Phong Dinh ward, shared that weaving from sedge is a long-standing traditional craft for Phong Dinh people. However, in the current context, this traditional craft is facing many challenges from the lack of improvement in designs, techniques, and skills that have not kept up with trends... With the support of the Luxembourg project and Maries Company Limited, it has helped people, weavers, especially women, improve their skills, weaving and design skills, thereby increasing the area of ​​sedge planting and expanding the consumption market... The project also contributes to promoting the role of women in developing household economy , preserving and promoting the value of traditional crafts, creating sustainable livelihoods for the community. At the same time, promoting green economic development, using natural materials, environmentally friendly and in line with the current sustainable development orientation.

Article and photos: HOANG ANH

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/kinh-te/nang-cao-tay-nghe-cai-thien-thu-nhap-cho-phu-nu-nong-thon-160004.html