Aid for thousands in four poor provinces

Nearly 5,000 poor households in four provinces will be given a helping hand to increase income and job opportunities during the next two years.

This is one of the main targets of a joint programme on green production and trade in Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Hoa Binh and Phu Tho provinces.

The 4.1 million USD scheme has been organised by the Trade Promotion Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade and five United Nations organisations.

More than 40 percent of the beneficiaries have a monthly income of less than 200,000 VND (10 USD).

"The four provinces were selected due to the high incidence of poverty, especially among ethnic minorities, the concentration of raw materials and local production of craft," said Do Kim Lang, deputy director of the department.

The programme will focus on boosting five crafts based on bamboo ware, producing and weaving silk, sea grass, lacquer ware and handmade paper.

"We want to help poor growers, collectors and producers to improve their products and link them to more profitable markets," said Lang.

Under the programme, raw bamboo and rattan material will be managed, exploited and developed in a sustainable way.

"Green here means that we will ensure environmental protection when exploiting raw materials, and ensure safe working condition for farmers," said Lang.

A total of 400ha of bamboo belonging to 150 households have been zoned in Chau Thang district in central Nghe An province.

More than 460ha of rattan have also been planted in the four provinces. Local farmers have received training on planting, harvesting and processing.

More than 500 people in the four provinces have already received basic training in making bamboo products. And more than 740 others have received advanced training to enable them to make complicated and fine art bamboo products. They have been provided with splitting machines and storage facilities.

The export value of bamboo and rattan products in the targeted provinces is expected to rise significantly if there is a well developed understanding of markets, marketing and design.

Service providers will also help run advanced training in business development and invite foreign designers to develop new product ranges for bamboo and rattan.

Handicraft enterprises will be invited on study tours in Vietnam , China and the Philippines . They will also be involved in domestic and international trade fairs./.

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Aid for thousands in four poor provinces

Farmers dry woven bamboo trays and baskets at Hoang Thinh commune in Hoang Hoa District of Thanh Hoa Province. Poor households in several provinces will received help to increase their income and job opportunities under aUS$4million joint project between theMinistry of Industry and Trade and the UN. — VNA/VNS Photo Bui Tuong

HA NOI — Nearly 5,000 poor households in four provinces will be given a helping hand to increase income and job opportunities during the next two years.

This is one of the main targets of a joint programme on green production and trade in Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Hoa Binh and Phu Tho provinces.

The US$4.1 million scheme has been organised by the Trade Promotion Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade and five United Nations organisations.

More than 40 per cent of the beneficiaries have a monthly income of less than VND200,000 ($10).

"The four provinces were selected due to the high incidence of poverty, especially among ethnic minorities, the concentration of raw materials and local production of craft," said Do Kim Lang, deputy director of the department.

The programme will focus on boosting five crafts based on bamboo ware, producing and weaving silk, sea grass, lacquer ware and handmade paper.

"We want to help poor growers, collectors and producers to improve their products and link them to more profitable markets," said Lang.

Under the programme, raw bamboo and rattan material will be managed, exploited and developed in a sustainable way.

"Green here means that we will ensure environmental protection when exploiting raw materials, and ensure safe working condition for farmers," said Lang.

A total of 400ha of bamboo belonging to 150 households have been zoned in Chau Thang District in central Nghe An Province.

More than 460ha of rattan have also been planted in the four provinces. Local farmers have received training on planting, harvesting and processing.

More than 500 people in the four provinces have already received basic training in making bamboo products. And more than 740 others have received advanced training to enable them to make complicated and fine art bamboo products. They have been provided with splitting machines and storage facilities.

The export value of bamboo and rattan products in the targeted provinces is expected to rise significantly if there is a well developed understanding of markets, marketing and design.

Service providers will also help run advanced training in business development and invite foreign designers to develop new product ranges for bamboo and rattan.

Handicraft enterprises will be invited on study tours in Viet Nam, China and the Philippines. They will also be involved in domestic and international trade fairs. — VNS

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Binh Duong bamboo village wins UNDP’s prize

Dr Diep Thi My Hanh

Photo: Tuoi Tre

The Phu An Bamboo Ecomuseum and Botanic Garden in Ben Cat District, Binh Duong, is among 25 winners of the UNDP Initiative’s Equator Prize for 2010.

The prize, instituted in 2002, is awarded biennially to recognize outstanding community efforts to reduce poverty by conserving biodiversity.

The bamboo village founder, Dr Diep Thi My Hanh, who received a PhD in environmental techniques from the Paris 12 Val de Marne University in France, will fly to the US to receive the US$5,000 award on September 22. She spoke to Tuoi Tre about her garden and eco-tourism attraction.

Is this the first bamboo-related project in the world to win the prize?

Yes, it is.

[It is also the largest bamboo reserve in Southeast Asia and has almost 90 percent of all bamboo varieties in Vietnam.]

Can you tell us about the bamboo village?

A group of my friends and I started building the 10-hectare bamboo village in 1999 on a barren area in the “iron triangle” which was heavily bombed during the war before 1975.

We wanted to transform the iron triangle into a green triangle and conserve the biodiversity of the region’s bamboo forests in ways that also reduce poverty, specifically through bamboo-based traditional arts and crafts.

Now the garden has over 300 species of bamboo from Vietnam and Southeast Asia, including 20 endangered species. It is a valuable national gene bank.

The garden has also received much help from others like Ton Nu Thi Ninh, Bui Tran Phuong, Bui Cach Tuyen, and Tran Phong from the Vietnam Environment Administration.

What do you plan to say at the ceremony in New York next month?

My speech will address the preservation of bamboo biodiversity, research programs on bamboo biological properties, sustainable development for local inhabitants through agricultural expansion and training in bamboo cultivation.

Promotion of ecotourism at Phu An bamboo village… will contribute to the prosperity of locals.

The model can be multiplied in other places to improve living conditions for local populations, enhance production and traditional know-how, and encourage environmental conservation.

Phu An bamboo village was created in the framework of a four-part cooperation project with Binh Duong Province, France’s Rhone Alpes Region, France’s Pilat Natural Park and Ho Chi Minh City’s University of Natural Sciences, with Rhone Alpes Region providing US$754,000 and Binh Duong providing $95,000 plus 10ha of land. It has served as an eco-tourism facility, focusing on bamboo trees and bamboo products.

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