Side job to supplement main income

Since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc (52 years old, Dai An Dong 1 village, Hanh Thuan commune) was lent 10 million VND by the Hanh Thuan Commune Agricultural Cooperative to buy reeds to make brooms.

According to Ms. Ngoc, the money she borrowed came from the district's support fund for the craft village and was interest-free. Each month, the borrower sets aside a small amount to repay the loan gradually. During difficult times, this money provided timely assistance to her family.

Making broomsticks from reeds is the main source of income for Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc.

Having been involved in broom-making for decades, Ms. Ngoc said that although it's a side job, it provides the main income for her family, so no matter how the market fluctuates or what obstacles she faces, she will not give it up.

"The broom-making profession doesn't yield as high a profit as other jobs, but it's sustainable and can be done anytime. As long as I have the strength, I can keep working. Thanks to it, I have some income to cover my living expenses," said Mrs. Ngoc.

Ms. Le Thi No (42 years old, Dai An Dong 1 village) also received a loan of 10 million VND to maintain her broom-making business. In addition, she borrowed more capital from the Social Policy Bank to invest further in production.

“Thanks to these sources of capital, our family's economic situation has improved. The reeds are in season at the beginning of the year, so we have to buy them to stock up and use throughout the year. On average, one bundle of reeds, both stripped and bundled, can yield over 40 brooms in three days to supply the market. Making reed brooms has the advantage of being done right at home, allowing us to take care of our family and children,” Mrs. Nở said.

Ms. Le Thi No has been involved in the broom-making craft for many years.

Mrs. Nở recounted that in her youth, after marrying her husband and moving to the broom-making village to settle down, she saw people making brooms and started trying her hand at it, becoming deeply attached to it, and it's been almost 20 years now.

Not only her, but other households in the village also cherish and are attached to the broom-making craft. Especially when Hành Thuận brooms were recognized as an OCOP product, it brought great joy to those involved in this craft, as the product became more widely known in the market, facilitating sales.

“The best-selling products are during Tet (Lunar New Year) and the back-to-school season. That’s when broom makers work hard, day and night, but it’s also the time when they earn the most money. Sales are lower in the rest of the year, but there’s still income,” Ms. Nở said.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhan's family (53 years old, Dai An Dong 1 village) has been making broomsticks for three generations, and she herself has been involved in the craft for 30 years. In 2021, she borrowed 100 million VND from the District Social Bank, a very large sum of money for her family at that time.

Thanks to timely support, her family boldly switched to a diversified economic model. They bought dried broom grass to store, and purchased additional buffaloes, cows, and pigs for breeding in a staggered manner, which has yielded high economic returns today. Currently, Ms. Nhan's model sells 1,500 broom grass brooms per month to dealers, 15 breeding pigs for selling piglets, and 6 buffaloes and cows per litter.

Ms. Le Thi Nhan (far left) improved her family's economic situation largely thanks to her broom-making business.

“The craft of making broomsticks isn't physically demanding, but it requires diligence, skill, and carefulness to produce high-quality products. For everyone here, from the elderly to the young children, anyone born in this village knows how to make broomsticks,” said Mrs. Nhan.

The Hành Thuận broom-making village in Đại An Đông 1 hamlet has over 100 households, supplying more than 225,000 brooms to the nationwide market each month, providing regular employment for over 200 workers. Among these, 26 households have broom products recognized as 3-star OCOP products.

Hành Thuận brooms have achieved OCOP 3-star product status.

“The broom products that have achieved OCOP certification bring great joy and motivation to the people. The producers are also paying more attention to quality and design to meet market demands. Usually, the end of the year is when the market is strongest, and the products can't be produced fast enough to meet demand,” Mr. Trong said.

  According to Vo Duy Trong, Director of Hanh Thuan Agricultural Cooperative, the cooperative has provided interest-free loans to its members from its production development fund. Thanks to this support, many members have had extra money to cope during difficult times. Currently, there are no longer any impoverished households in the cooperative.

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/nghe-phu-cho-thu-nhap-chinh.html