Nghe An 'salt barn' struggles to find ways to preserve traditional profession
(Baonghean.vn)- Quynh Luu is considered the “salt granary” of Nghe An. In recent years, due to the unstable price of salt and the low income of salt workers, most salt workers have switched to other jobs. To preserve the traditional profession, craft village cooperatives are trying to find ways…
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The early season sun is nearly 40 degrees Celsius, harsh and burning, but salt workers in Tan Thang salt village (An Hoa commune, Quynh Luu) still stick to the sun to produce salt. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
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| The process of making salt grains is extremely hard, going through many stages: tilling the soil, drying the soil, putting the soil in a pan, filtering the water, drying the water, collecting the salt... all done by hand. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
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The hotter the sun, the more actively salt farmers must stay in the fields, because when the sun is strong, they can make more salt, the salt grains are whiter, the salt quality is better, and they can sell for a higher price. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
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| The salt industry is hard, the price of salt is unstable, and the income of salt workers is low, so now, most of the workers in Tan Thang salt village are elderly. Most of the workers in their age group have changed jobs, become factory workers or construction workers. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
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| “The family has four children, none of them following their fathers’ profession anymore. They are happy to be free from the salt fields. As for me, I am old and do not know how to do any other job, so I still have to cling to life, exposing myself to the sun to make salt to make a living,” said Ms. Ho Thi Vinh. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
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| Working hard and hard under the hot sun, the highest income of a salt worker is only 200,000 VND/day. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
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| Mr. Bui Xuan Dien, representative of Thang Loi Salt Cooperative, An Hoa Commune (Quynh Luu) said: "The cooperative has 818 members, each year producing 12,000 tons of salt to supply the market. This year, the price of salt at the beginning of the season was high, but now the price of salt has dropped sharply. Therefore, the most worrying thing is that people are bored with the job, quit the job, and the salt fields are left abandoned." Photo: Thanh Phuc |
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| In order to increase the value of salt, create sustainable livelihoods for people, and promote traditional craft villages in recent times, the Cooperative as well as the local government have made efforts to connect with processing enterprises to purchase salt grains as well as salt by-products for people. In the photo: A local company purchases "salt molasses" (salt water, salt water) for people, increasing the income of salt farmers by 50%. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
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| Currently, the cooperative is developing a project for an experiential tourism in An Hoa salt village with the following activities: Visiting the salt village; experiencing salt making with salt workers; visiting mangrove forests, cruising along the Mai Giang River, enjoying local specialties... Hopefully, the project will soon be implemented, aiming to increase income and create sustainable livelihoods for local people. At the same time, retaining workers and promoting traditional occupations in localities. Photo: Thanh Phuc |
Clip: Thanh Phuc |
