Turning areca spathe waste into export goods

April 7, 2024 | 15:08

TPO - Areca spathe is an agricultural waste product, however, Mr. Nguyen Van Tuyen has "transformed" areca spathe into useful products such as bowls and plates, exported to Korea, Canada, Poland, the US... bringing in large revenue, contributing to environmental protection and creating stable jobs for people.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tuyen (39 years old) is originally from Quang Nam but grew up in Phu Yen. He is passionate about environmentally friendly products.

At the end of 2019, while researching online, he accidentally read a document about environmentally friendly products from areca spathe in India, so he decided to open a facility to purchase areca spathe to make bowls, plates, trays... in Nghia Hanh district - one of the largest areca growing areas in Quang Ngai .

At first, many people thought it was a joke when they saw someone buying areca spathe in large quantities, a waste product that they had always left falling in the garden. Tuyen bought an areca spathe for 1,000 VND, helping areca growers in Quang Ngai increase their income in addition to selling areca fruit.

After being purchased, the areca spathe is brought back to the factory to be cleaned, soaked in water to soften, and drained...

Bowls, cups, plates… made from areca spathe are carefully processed before being packaged.

Depending on customer requirements, the facility manufactures different types of molds. Therefore, the molded products will have diverse shapes, and images can be printed on the products according to customer requirements.

“Currently, the production facility has 9 presses, each with 5 molds. On average, each month, the facility supplies the market with about 600,000 products of bowls, plates, trays... made from areca leaves, not only contributing to environmental protection but also bringing in a large source of income for himself and the people,” Mr. Tuyen shared.

Currently, his facility provides continuous employment for 15 workers. “I have been working at the facility producing products from areca spathe since its establishment. The work is very light and simple, suitable for older female workers. The average monthly income is about 6 million VND, and it is higher when there are many products. In the countryside, such an income is already high,” said Ms. Le Thi Thinh (61 years old, residing in Hanh Trung commune, Nghia Hanh district).

After nearly 5 years of starting his business, his products made from areca spathe such as cups, plates, fans... have been exported everywhere, to countries such as Korea, Canada, Poland, America...

Mr. Tuyen said that cups and plates made from areca palm leaf cost only 2,000 - 3,000 VND each, can be reused, and are environmentally friendly, so they are very popular in foreign markets. Therefore, the export volume accounts for 90%, helping the production facility earn hundreds of millions of VND in revenue each month.

In addition, Mr. Tuyen's areca spathe product is used by a domestic airline to serve passengers in business class.

In addition to areca spathe, Mr. Tuyen also developed a line of bowls and plates made from the leaves of the Tra tree, a coastal tree. This product is mainly consumed in the US.

According to the leader of the People's Committee of Nghia Hanh District (Quang Ngai), for a long time, areca spathe has had almost no use value. Now, thanks to the production facility of Mr. Nguyen Van Tuyen purchasing areca spathe, farmers have more income, this is a promising direction. Bowls and plates made from areca spathe are one of the outstanding products of Nghia Hanh District. In the coming time, the locality will create conditions for this facility to continue to develop production, creating more jobs for workers.

Quang Ngai is known as the “capital” of areca trees. Each hectare of areca trees produces about 12,500 spathes, sold for 1,000 VND/spar, people can earn 12.5 million VND.

Turning areca spathe waste into… export products. Video: Nguyen Ngoc

Nguyen Ngoc

Source: https://tienphong.vn/bien-phe-pham-mo-cau-thanh-hang-xuat-khau-post1626654.tpo