Developing and preserving traditional craft villages

Over time, many craft villages in Phu Tho province seemed to have been lost, but thanks to the attention and support of all levels and sectors, and the creative efforts of craftsmen, they have created unique and sophisticated products, meeting the tastes of customers and gradually gaining a foothold and competitiveness in the market.

Harvesting tea ensures "one bud, two leaves" to create products with high economic value at Khuan Tea Village, Son Hung Commune, Thanh Son District.

Production efforts

The province currently has over 70 stable craft villages. The craft villages operate mainly on a family scale with nearly 7,000 households, 25 enterprises and 11 cooperatives; creating jobs for nearly 17,000 workers, including more than 11,000 regular workers. The total revenue of the craft villages is estimated at over 1,000 billion VND/year. Right from the beginning of the year, the craft villages have actively produced with new enthusiasm and a spirit of enthusiastic work, promising to create quality products, contributing to improving people's lives and promoting rural economic development.

At Nha Nit peach blossom village, Thanh Dinh commune, Viet Tri city, peach growers continue a new cycle to prepare for the next flowering season. Gardeners are not only busy digging holes and preparing new soil, but also pay attention to caring for and checking the growth of newly grafted peach trees, ensuring growth rate and flowers in time for Tet next year.

Mr. Nguyen Van Ly - Head of Nha Nit peach blossom village said: "Many people think that peach blossom growing is only busy at the end of the year, but in fact, the beginning of the year is very important, people have to focus on planting and restoring newly planted trees. At this time, the family is focusing on taking care of more than 100 peach trees and peach trees, these are mainly perennial peach trees, so the care needs to be meticulous and careful to ensure the trees grow well."

Visiting the family of Mr. Hoang Xuan Huy - a member of Nha Nit peach blossom village when the family had basically completed the work of planting more than 30 new peach trees purchased from people after Tet. Mr. Huy shared: "The replanting of peach trees must follow the correct techniques, ensuring the process of living and developing in the right period. In addition, peach growers must be meticulous in creating the canopy, by combining bending, tying young branches together or creating frames according to predetermined shapes; at the same time, pruning and removing unwanted branches".

It is known that currently, the whole craft village has over 120 households investing in growing peach trees, with a total area of ​​nearly 7.5 hectares. During the 2025 Tet holiday, many households will earn from 100-200 million VND, contributing to improving life and getting rich on local land.

Keeping pace with the production momentum, the handicraft villages in the province have also harmoniously combined the cultural values, the quintessence of the craft villages with the technical level of artisans and workers to create products of economic value. The whole province currently has 20 handicraft villages with products such as: wooden furniture, rattan and bamboo weaving, textiles... accounting for 26.6% of the total number of craft villages in the province.

Coming to Viet Tien carpentry village, Tu Xa commune, Lam Thao district, the production pace at the beginning of the year is somewhat more leisurely, due to the decrease in market demand. Households focus on completing pre-ordered orders and actively exploiting and searching for new markets. Mr. Chu Van Ngo - Head of the craft village said: "Currently, science and technology are developing, households have proactively invested in modern machinery and equipment in the direction of specializing in production stages; dividing labor to do each stage according to the chain. The products of the craft village are mainly household wooden products such as: beds, tables, chairs, beds, cabinets... which are increasingly sophisticated, durable and beautiful, consumed in all provinces and cities in the country".

In reality, the products of the province's craft villages are now quite diverse, with many types, beautiful designs, improved quality, and increased competitiveness in the market. Thanks to that, the production and business activities of the craft villages are increasingly effective, contributing positively to the transformation of the labor structure, the rural economic structure, the construction of new rural areas, creating jobs, increasing income for people, and creating a driving force for sustainable poverty reduction.

Viet Tien carpentry village, Tu Xa commune, Lam Thao district applies scientific advances to improve product quality.

Preserving and promoting the strengths of craft villages

In recent years, the work of preserving and developing craft villages in the province has been directed and effectively implemented by all levels, sectors and localities. Many products of craft villages have participated in the One Commune One Product (OCOP) Program with designs and quality suitable to consumer tastes, creating a diversity of tourism products and services to meet the shopping needs of tourists. Activities to support the development of craft villages such as: Preserving and developing craft villages, training, coaching, trade promotion, building, creating and managing collective brands... have been given attention, creating goods of high economic value. Up to now, the whole province has nearly 20 craft village products certified as OCOP products of 3 stars or higher; 11 craft villages have products certified as collective brands.

In addition to the achieved results, the development of craft villages in the province still has some difficulties and limitations such as: production and business activities are fragmented, small-scale, mainly family-scale; product quality is not uniform, product value is not high; environmental pollution still exists.

Comrade Vu Quoc Tuan - Head of the Department of Rural Development said: “In order to preserve and develop craft villages effectively and substantially, the province has based on the specific conditions and advantages of each locality to develop craft villages; encourage and support production establishments to expand their scale, concentrate capital, and improve designs to suit market needs; improve production and consumption capacity in the direction of goods that promote the strengths of each craft village; form value chains from production to product consumption; focus on supporting the improvement of operational efficiency of production organization forms in craft villages in the direction of promoting forms of association and cooperation, focusing on developing new-style enterprises, cooperatives, and cooperatives to participate in product value chains. The goal, in the period of 2022-2030, is to develop 8-10 potential craft villages associated with tourism and service development”.

In addition, the province promotes vocational training, vocational transmission, honors artisans and has support policies to maintain and develop the artisan team; encourages artisans to participate in promoting vocational training and vocational transmission in the locality. Increase support and encourage production facilities in craft villages to participate in trade promotion fairs, expand product consumption networks at trade centers, supermarkets, and convenience stores to promote and introduce craft village products; link the craft village development program with the tourism development program; increase the opening of tours and craft village tourism routes, both serving tourism and demonstrating crafts and selling craft village products so that the products can reach domestic and foreign tourists.

Along with that, strengthen research, transfer, application of science, technology and new materials in production, prioritize environmentally friendly technology, use renewable energy sources; combine new technology with traditional techniques and technologies to improve production efficiency without affecting the artistic, aesthetic and traditional values ​​of the products.

With specific solutions, it is hoped that the preservation and development of craft villages will bring high efficiency, not only preserving and promoting traditional cultural values ​​and identities but also promoting production development, improving competitiveness, increasing economic value for craft village products, and improving people's income.

Ha Nhung

Source: https://baophutho.vn/phat-trien-va-bao-ton-lang-nghe-truyen-thong-229671.htm