Boat welding facilities in Nghe An enter the 'money-making' season

These days, passing through Hung Thinh commune, Hung Nguyen district, it is not difficult to see mechanical workshops and welding workshops always bustling with workers. The sound of cutting machines, knocking on metal sheets, the voices of buyers and sellers resound throughout the countryside. After the heavy rains that caused flooding at the end of September, this product is increasingly sought after by people to proactively cope with floods.

Having just finished two corrugated iron boats, Mr. Truong Cong Thuc, Hung Thinh commune, said: My family has been doing welding for decades now. Corrugated iron can be used to make a variety of products, serving daily life such as water ladles, clothes boxes, stoves, water buckets, rainwater gutters, rice bins, smoke pipes, etc. However, in the last months of the year like this, the main product is still corrugated iron boats to mainly serve the people.flooded areas.

The professional said,corrugated iron boatIt is not difficult, however, it requires workers to be meticulous, hard-working, healthy and able to withstand a noisy working environment. The sound of knocking on metal can last all day. For each boat, it goes through stages such as cutting metal, shaping, joining metal, welding the bars on the boat… If the worker is skilled, he can make 4-5 boats per day.

Ms. Ngo Thi Hai, Hung Thinh commune shared: In fact, people still buy corrugated iron boats all year round for use in activities such as fishing, picking lotus flowers, harvesting rice... However, the consumption is not much, it only increases dramatically during this period. All the production is basically consumed, even before the rainy season, there are people, local authorities, and units that order large quantities to proactively prevent. The family hires more workers to meet the quantity of goods.

Currently, when coming to communes that are frequently flooded in the province such as Chau Nhan, Hung Loi... (Hung Nguyen), Nam Nam area (Nam Dan)... each family has its own boat, of which up to 60% are corrugated iron boats, the rest are homemade wooden boats or rafts made from bamboo and reed trunks.

Mr. Phan Dinh Hoan - Vice Chairman of Chau Nhan Commune People's Committee, Hung Nguyen District said: People in the commune face floods all year round, especially in the old Hung Nhan commune because it is located outside Ta Lam dike, so boats are indispensable for people during the rainy and stormy season. However, there is no boat manufacturing facility in the area, so every year people go to Hung Thinh commune to proactively buy corrugated iron boats. If the water rises, boats are a practical means of rescue, helping people move safely during the rainy and stormy season.

The reason why people trust and choose corrugated iron boats is because of its many advantages. The size can be chosen according to the customer's request, big or small can be cut. Corrugated iron boats are also easy to transport and use because of their light weight, especially, their lifespan is longer than wooden boats, they are not rotten or termite-eaten like traditional boats. Moreover, the price of corrugated iron boats is suitable for the income of rural people. On average, each small corrugated iron boat costs from 400,000 - 700,000 VND, large ones from 1.5 - 2 million VND, if the boat is larger the price can be higher depending on the customer's request.

However, the corrugated iron boat manufacturing industry is currently facing many difficulties. The price of input materials is increasing while the selling price of boats remains stable over the years, leading to low profits. In addition, the number of workers who are attached to the profession is decreasing due to the hard work and uneven income, only improving at the end of the year. Therefore, currently, the workers at the welding and corrugated iron boat manufacturing facilities in Hung Thinh commune are mainly middle-aged and elderly people. Preserving this traditional profession still faces many challenges.