Quy Chau incense village races to meet Tet orders
(Baonghean.vn)- In the last days of November, walking along the roads around the incense village in Quy Chau, just a light breeze is enough to make the fragrance of the famous product of the West. At this time, incense factories are racing against time to meet the number of orders placed.
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Every year, about 4 months before the Lunar New Year, incense handicraft workshops in Quy Chau rush into the "harvest" season for Tet goods. Quy Chau incense is handcrafted from local herbs. The workers are also local people, mainly women. Photo: HT |
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| The incense-making villages here operate year-round and are divided by season. About 4 months before Lunar New Year, the capacity for rolling incense sticks will double or even triple. The remaining months are mainly spent preparing raw materials such as splitting cuttings, purchasing and grinding herbs such as vetiver roots, sugarcane bagasse, cinnamon, etc. Photo: HT |
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| Owners of some incense production facilities in Tan Lac Town (Quy Chau) said that since September 2022, it has been quite difficult to find workers, because local workers have focused on peeling acacia bark and harvesting acacia for farms. "This year, the price of raw acacia has increased, so workers harvesting acacia are also paid well. Local workers, including women, are "making acacia", making it quite difficult for us to find workers. On a normal day, we maintain about 10 workers, but during the Tet holiday, we have to increase to 30-35 people working continuously day and night to meet orders" - Ms. Tran Thi Loan, owner of Tran Ha Loan incense facility, expressed. Photo: HT |
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| In addition to difficulty in hiring workers, incense villages in Quy Chau also face difficulties in purchasing raw materials. The owner of Thiet Hoi incense production facility in Block 1, Tan Lac town said that last year the price of vetiver roots fluctuated from 30,000 to 34,000 VND/kg, but this year by mid-November it had increased to 50,000 to 54,000 VND/kg. Not to mention other raw materials have also increased, such as incense paper. Photo: HT |
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| The incense villages of Quy Chau produce four types of incense: agarwood, cone incense and stick incense. The main raw material for producing incense is vetiver root, combined with other types such as cinnamon, cardamom, sugarcane... depending on the type of incense. Currently, the demand for incense root in Quy Chau is quite large, but because the locality has not been able to cultivate much, incense production facilities mainly purchase raw materials in Quynh Luu and some other districts. Photo: HT |
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| In recent years, the market demand for incense cones has increased quite a lot, so incense production facilities in Quy Chau have expanded this product. However, incense cones are only produced on sunny days because they need a lot of time to dry in the sun. While drying, the incense cones must be checked and stirred regularly so that the incense cones dry evenly. Photo: HT |
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| Similarly, incense sticks are only produced when the weather is sunny. Ms. Hoang Thuy Van - owner of Binh Minh incense stick production facility in Tan Lac town said that she is the 6th generation of her family to continue the tradition of making incense sticks. Currently, her family's incense sticks have been certified as 3-star OCOP products. Photo: HT |
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The development of OCOP products is one of the key economic development pillars that the People's Committee of Quy Chau district is focusing on promoting, especially incense products. Photo: HT |