The ups and downs of the Hoa Dien lime industry

Workers at lime production facility 79. Photo: THUY TRANG

A time of prosperity

According to lime production facilities in Hoa Dien, the traditional profession of lime making has existed for a long time. Many people take advantage of the locally available limestone resources to produce quicklime. Hoa Dien lime is famous for its high purity, whiteness, smoothness, and quality, and is very popular with traders. Lime products are widely used in many industries and professions, such as: domestic water treatment, environmental treatment in aquaculture; as construction materials. Faced with the increasing demand for lime in production, seizing the opportunity, lime kilns are opening more and more.

Mr. Do Van Thanh, residing in Lung Lon hamlet, Hoa Dien commune, still remembers clearly the most prosperous time of the lime making profession in Hoa Dien, which was in the year 2000, when he followed his parents to Hoa Dien to open a lime kiln. Mr. Thanh said: “At that time, in Hoa Dien, there were dozens of spontaneous lime kilns springing up. Along both sides of the road, the lime kilns were located close together, limestone was piled up, the kilns were always red hot, and there were many workers working. Thanks to several years of working in the lime industry, my family's economy developed more, and I had the capital to open 2-3 more lime kilns.”

Lime making is also the main livelihood of many poor workers in Hoa Dien commune. Ms. Le Thi Loi, residing in Kien Thanh hamlet, Hoa Dien commune, has been working in lime making for 10 years and said: “In the past, the kiln owner had a stable source of raw materials and operated continuously. Women were hired to scoop lime into bags, while men did heavier work such as carrying rocks to the kiln. Every day I earned from 200,000 to 250,000 VND.”

Now closed and quiet

The lime making industry in Hoa Dien is gradually shrinking, many lime kilns are inefficient, losing money, leading to bankruptcy, having to close down and switch to other industries and occupations such as: farming, animal husbandry, aquaculture... According to statistics from the People's Committee of Hoa Dien commune, in the past there were nearly 90 lime kilns in the commune, but now there are only about 10 lime kilns remaining in operation.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Thanh, Vice Chairman of Hoa Dien Commune People's Committee, said that most of the lime kilns in Hoa Dien were opened spontaneously by local people and were not licensed by the local government. The production technology was outdated, mainly using traditional manual methods burning coal, which emitted a large amount of smoke and dust into the environment, affecting the lives of households living in the commune. Although during the production process, the facilities were covered with nets and watered to suppress dust to limit dust dispersion, the pollution still persisted.

In addition to environmental pollution, the main cause of the decline of the lime industry in Hoa Dien is the lack of limestone raw materials. Since the State licensed a number of enterprises to exploit limestone mines for the production of construction materials and cement, the local limestone raw materials are no longer available, and lime kiln owners have to buy raw materials from other provinces, thereby increasing production costs. In addition, the main fuel source for lime burning is coal, which is quite expensive, so production is facing many difficulties.

Once the largest lime production facility in Hoa Dien commune with several hundred tons per month, but now the lime production facility 79 of Mr. Do Van Thanh, residing in Lung Lon hamlet, only maintains a moderate production, about a few dozen tons per month. Mr. Thanh said: "About 4-5 years ago, lime making still brought in a good income, but now it is very unstable. Limestone is scarce, if you can buy it, the price is about 330,000 VND/ ^m3 , 4 times higher than in other provinces, so lime in Hoa Dien is difficult to compete with similar products from facilities outside the province".

Mr. Doan Van Hoai, owner of a lime kiln in Hoa Dien, worries: “Handmade lime kilns can hardly compete with large enterprises and production facilities because of outdated technology. With the manual production method, burning each batch with coal, low capacity, high cost. I want to invest in renewing the electric burning technology, but the cost is up to billions of dong, I cannot afford it. Because it is a long-standing traditional profession of my family, I also try to maintain production.”

Mr. Nguyen Huu Thanh added that, in the face of environmental pollution from manual lime kilns, the local government has issued a policy not to expand or develop the traditional lime making profession. For lime kilns that are still in operation, the Commune People's Committee requires lime kiln owners and production facilities to overcome the situation of smoke and dust emission to minimize environmental pollution. At the same time, the commune encourages inefficient lime kilns to switch to other occupations. The Commune People's Committee coordinates with relevant sectors to provide consultation, vocational training and job placement for workers at closed lime kilns to help them stabilize their lives.

THUY TRANG

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/thang-tram-nghe-voi-hoa-dien-a425831.html