PROJECT OF SUPPORT TO RATTAN VALUE CHAIN AND HANDICRAFT INDUSTRY

Also within the scope of LDP, rattan project is a trial activity of Gret on products from rattan, small scale industry and mushroom production.

Fundamental objective of the project is to improve added value and income for households in craft villages by creating jobs and ensuring sustainable production on the spot of rattan through models of nursery, plantation, training and new products. In which, specific objective is to support the development of bamboo and rattan industry. Details are as follows:
• Plan production area of rattan ensuring sustainable operations
• Creating jobs for 100 people, in which 40 plant rattan, 10 do nurseries and 50 do handicraft
• Imoroving income and helping households out of poverty

Intervention area of the project is in 4 communes: Lương Ngoại, Thiết Kế, Xuân Phú and Hồi Xuân of 2 districts Quan Hóa and Bá Thước

ACTIVITIES
1. Support to production
Establishing nurseries
• Ensure supply of good seedlings on the spot
• Reduce transport cost
• Create more jobs and income

Establishing model of rattan plantation
• Expand area of rattan plantations
• Form rattan material zone in the area

2. Develop handicraft industry
• Connect production and product consumption
• Create stable jobs and income rise for workers

3. Education, training
• Suitable and simple technical documents that farmers are easy to access (technical leaflets, lesson plans, ....)
• improve knowledge and skills for farmers
• farmers conduct good techniques of propagation, plantation, tending and harvesting rattan

MODEL OF RATTAN PLANTATION IN BÁ THƯỚC
• In 2008, in Lương Ngoại, project provided 40%, Lương Sơn co-operative 30%, farmers 30% (28 households of 2 villages with total of 30000 plants, equal to 3ha)
• In 2009, there are 30 households of 2 villages participate with total of 20000, plants:
+ In Lương Ngoại commune: project provides 47%, farmers 41% and Lương Sơn co-operative contributes 12%
+ In Thiết Ống commune, project provides 59%, farmers contribute 41%

• Diversifying products to adapt with market changes
+ 15 people representing 5 groups are trained: management, markerting and arrangement
+ Monthly update of market information
+ Visit and discuss with enterprises inside and outside province

• Improving vocational training capacity of local training units
+ 75 people are trained in 3 sessions with participation of local training units
+ Combining training -enterprise –customer to reduce cost and improve effectiveness of vocational training

UNITS PRODUCING RATTAN PRODUCTS
-Thanh Hoá has 24 private enterprises, co-operatives producing rattan products
- Market for products:
+Inland: Hà Nam, Thái Bình
+Export: Europe, Japan
- solution of jobs for rural laborers

Lương Sơn co-operative
-Established in August 2007
-Co-operative provided vocational training for 175 local workers (in which 170 are female)
-Main products: square bottom, round bottom, rectangular bottom, round tray, square tray, spice bottle basket...
-Earning 900 000- 1000 000 VND/month/worker

CO-OPERATION WITH OTHER PROJECTS
-LDP project in Thanh Hoá
Improve income for farmers, reduce poverty in mountainous areas of Thanh Hoá by enhancing added value of bamboo luong, creating jobs, strengthening enterprises, supporting and protecting environment comprehensively

-Green Future project
+Using bamboo luong by-products to produce mushroom, charcoal...
+Using reusable energy from sawdust, biogas
+Improving cooking stove to save woods and reduce emissions

-Đào Hoa Tre project
+Improve techniques of processing bamboo species...
+Diversify products to adapt with market changes
+Develop craft villages