Shrimp trap weaving creates income during flood season

Every year, the flood season brings alluvium and many natural products such as fish, shrimp, crab... Many craft villages making traps following the tide are also formed, serving the fishing needs of people in the river area, including the craft of making shrimp traps. Every year, the higher the water level, the more vibrant the shrimp trap market is, and the work of households making this craft is busier and more bustling.

Mr. Ngo Van Ut is making shrimp traps. Photo: TRONG TIN

The shrimp trap weaving profession of households in Vinh Thuan hamlet was formed more than 30 years ago. Initially, shrimp traps were mainly made to serve families and people in the neighborhood to catch shrimp during the flood season. Seeing the increasing demand, many people started their own business, and since then, shrimp trap making has become a source of livelihood for many families.

Having been weaving shrimp traps for more than 20 years, Ms. Nguyen Thi Cam (65 years old), residing in Vinh Thuan hamlet, said: "Here, we make shrimp traps all year round, but the busiest time is from May to July of the lunar calendar. During the flood season, shrimp traps sell well, bringing in a good income for the makers." According to Ms. Cam, weaving shrimp traps is quite elaborate, requiring more than a dozen steps to complete. First, the maker must buy old bamboo, saw it into pieces, split it into small stalks, sharpen the bamboo strips, soak it in water, dry it, and then roast it over fire. Then comes the steps of weaving the trap frame, making the sides, making the rim, making the core, and finally assembling it into a complete trap.

Shrimp trap makers must be patient and meticulous to make beautiful and technically correct traps. The traps look simple, but when making them, they must calculate the uniform size of the materials, so that the product is both beautiful, durable and of good quality. Thanks to that, in recent years, shrimp traps made by households in Vinh Thuan hamlet have been sought after by traders from many places. "To make large quantities, my family has to hire people in the village to process them, calculating the labor cost by product. This year, my family sold about 2,500 traps to the market, priced at 75,000 VND/piece, after deducting expenses, the profit is about 15,000 VND/piece," Ms. Cam shared.

Near Mrs. Cam's house, Mr. Ngo Van Ut (62 years old) has been making shrimp traps for nearly 20 years. Mr. Ut said that the advantage of this job is that he can take advantage of his free time, so he can earn money every day. Moreover, this job can be done by anyone, from the elderly to the young, so he can make the most of the free time of family members. "My family has 5 people working together, each person is in charge of a stage. This year, we made about 1,500 traps. Thanks to acquaintances, old customers' introductions, and maintaining the quality, more and more people come to my family to order," Mr. Ut said.

The family of Ms. To Thi Nong, residing in Vinh Thuan hamlet, also makes shrimp traps to sell all year round. Because they do not hire workers, every year, around the 11th lunar month, her family buys bamboo and prepares materials to take advantage of their free time to make traps to sell for the flood season next year. This year, her family made 1,500 shrimp traps and sold them all to traders, at a price of 75,000 VND/trap. “My family also made 200 more to catch shrimp in the rivers, canals, and streams around the area, to earn more income. Every day, we pour about 100 traps, collecting 2-5kg of shrimp depending on the tide. Shrimp are sold to traders according to size, the price ranges from 170,000 - 570,000 VND/kg,” Ms. Nong shared.

Although not the main occupation, shrimp trap making has been contributing to solving employment for many farming households, increasing income for people during the flood season, while preserving the traditional cultural features of the local profession.

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Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/nghe-dan-lop-tom-tao-thu-nhap-mua-nuoc-noi-a463432.html