Carpentry villages in Nghe An are deserted at the end of the year.

Quang Phong carpentry has been famous for a long time, the products of the craft village are favored by customers because of good quality and beautiful designs. From products costing a few million VND to tables and chairs costing tens of millions of VND, all are made very beautifully by the craftsmen here.

However, these days, coming to Quang Phong carpentry village, it is quite surprising to see sluggish sales and carpentry establishments producing at a moderate level.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan - a carpentry shop owner in Quang Phong carpentry village said: Every year at this time of the year, customers buying and selling wooden products are quite busy, trucks come in and out of the craft village carrying a lot of goods, sometimes 4-5 sets of cabinets, tables and chairs are sold a day. But now the goods are overflowing, sitting and waiting for customers all day but still no one comes to buy.

The owner of another business in Quang Phong carpentry village added: This year, purchasing power has decreased sharply. All year, goods sold are only about 30-35% compared to last year, especially at the end of the year to serve Tet goods but the number of customers is small. A lot of goods are left unsold, forcing the business to cut down on workers.

The "blocked" output of carpentry has made it difficult for many workers who depend on this profession to make a living. Work is irregular, income has decreased, many carpenters have had to quit and switch to other jobs.

Mr. Nguyen Canh Kieu - Chairman of Quang Phong Ward People's Committee said: Quang Phong Ward's woodworking craft village for processing forest products was recognized as a craft village by Nghe An Provincial People's Committee on December 30, 2002. Production and business activities mainly include the following items: tables, chairs, cabinets, beds, and household woodwork.

Carpentry has long brought in a large source of income for the locality as well as created jobs for many workers in the commune, reaching a revenue of nearly 100 billion VND/year. However, for nearly 2 years now, the output for wooden products has encountered many difficulties, most establishments are having a lot of backlog of goods.

From a craft village with over 250 families working in carpentry, now it has decreased to only over 170 households, with workers switching to other professions.

The reason why wooden products are difficult to sell is partly due to the impact of the economic recession, wooden products from the Northern provinces are brought in to compete with cheaper prices... Currently, in the difficult period of output, about 35% of households have switched to producing other products suitable for the market, such as receiving orders for wooden floors, processing plywood for walls...

Sharing the same situation, the traditional carpentry village in Quynh Hung commune (Quynh Luu) also fell into the situation of unsold goods. Mr. Le Van Minh - a carpentry establishment owner in Quynh Hung commune said: "In previous years, around September and October, carpenters had to work at full capacity to serve customers, but now they mainly sell inventory from the beginning of the year until now."

In 2011, the Provincial People's Committee recognized Thuan Giang and Nam Thang carpentry villages as two provincial-level civil and fine art carpentry villages of Quynh Hung commune. Both villages have invested in modern machinery and technology, and a team of skilled carpenters create a variety of wooden products.

Mr. Tran Dinh Trong - Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Hung Commune added: Carpentry brings in a large source of income for the commune, reaching a turnover of over 150 billion VND/year. However, in recent years, wooden handicrafts have been difficult to sell, most of the craft villages have had backlogs of goods. Previously, the commune had over 350 households engaged in carpentry, but now there are less than 200 households but their activities are limited.

It is known that Nghe An has many carpentry villages in the districts of Do Luong, Thanh Chuong, Quynh Luu, Nam Dan… creating jobs for thousands of local workers. However, due to difficulties in output, the carpentry industry has stagnated for the past 2 years.

Faced with that situation, it is necessary to orient craft villages to be more responsive in grasping market needs, not making mass-produced wooden household products difficult to consume, but creating special products that meet customer requirements to thereby improve consumption.