Water hyacinth and reed grass bring in billions

In addition to water hyacinth, cattail is also being chosen by handicraft enterprises as a production material, with the potential to create stable livelihoods for people in the Mekong Delta and earn thousands of billions of VND.

Water hyacinth replacement, potential 9 billion USD

Workers work in the factory of Vietnam Housewares in Vinh Long (HAWA) – Photo: HAWA

After more than 20 years in the wood industry, Mr. Tran Lam Son – General Director of Thien Minh Company – is seeing new opportunities from the elephant grass after survey trips in the Mekong Delta and meetings with experts.

He said, according to Dr. Tran Van Ni and a research team from Can Tho University, there are currently about 1.8 million hectares of saline land that cannot be cultivated, while the grass is very suitable for this soil.

This is a potential source of raw materials for handicraft and fine art production if it can be replicated. Mr. Son’s daughter has also just started selling woven products from the grass on Amazon, which has initially received a positive reception from the market.

“On an area of ​​1m2, I once cut 10kg of water hyacinth, if multiplied by 1.8 million hectares, it will be about 18 million tons. Water hyacinth costs about 24,000 VND/kg. If we can reduce the price of water hyacinth to half of the expected price, we can earn 9 billion USD” – Mr. Son did a quick calculation.

In the chain of organizing raw material sources and linking product manufacturers, Vietnam Housewares is considered by businesses in the industry as one of the few leading companies in exporting products made from reed grass to the US, Europe, Australia…

There are many types of raw materials used in handicraft production such as sedge, water hyacinth, cattail, banana… Mr. Lai Tri Moc – General Director of Vietnam Housewares – said that sedge is concentrated in Thanh Hoa and Vinh Long provinces but is only suitable for small-scale production. Banana fiber is not popular yet, and water hyacinth depends on the weather and cannot withstand drought and salinity.

Before the pandemic, the demand for bamboo and rattan products was high, so this company had to “beg to buy water hyacinth, which was sometimes harder to buy than gold”. After a long time of searching and cooperating with experts at Can Tho University, after about 5 years of testing, they assessed that water hyacinth could replace water hyacinth.

Mr. Moc hopes to reduce the price of water hyacinth to less than half that of water hyacinth to increase competitive advantage, expand the planting area with local farmers and purchase stable output.

Vietnam Housewares currently has three factories producing wooden, ceramic and handicraft products; including the bamboo and rattan factory in Vinh Long. Most of the company’s products are exported to many markets such as the US and EU, through the Walmart, Kmart, Maisons Du Monde system…

Cheap raw materials create better competitive opportunities

At a recent event organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Handicraft and Processing Association (HAWA), Mr. Huynh Le Dai Thang, director of Nghia Son Furniture Company Limited, said that the company is looking for handicraft manufacturers to export to potential markets such as the US and EU.

He estimated that raw materials account for about half of the production cost in the industry. If the price of raw materials can be reduced by half, Made in Vietnam goods will be very competitive.

“The demand for this industry is huge, but water hyacinth products are prone to mold and odor. Customers often require strict chemical safety requirements, and Amazon often mentions this,” Mr. Thang shared.

Regarding raw materials, a representative of a Danish buyer said that the demand for handicraft products, especially from sedge and water hyacinth, has increased in recent years. However, they face challenges during the rainy season when raw materials are not carefully processed and are susceptible to termites.

Regarding raw materials, Mr. Moc assessed that water hyacinth no longer grows naturally and may need to be fertilized to grow quickly. This makes the bark of the stem more porous and susceptible to damage after a few weeks of storage.

In contrast, the ivy is a plant that lives in brackish water, its stem is harder and more durable.

“We wash the statues with ultrasonic waves, dry them, bundle them up, pile them up, and cover them with tarps so that they won’t spoil after a year,” Mr. Moc said.

Developing the handicraft industry from the grass is expected to be a positive solution to stabilize the lives of many people in the Mekong Delta.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/