Phạm Hồng Bảo, owner of a handicraft factory in Tuy Hòa City, has succeeded in developing an environmentally-friendly product, winning artistic acclaim for his work. -- Photo enternews.vn

by Thu Anh

A graduate from the HCM City University of Fine Arts is using coconut shells for ornamental tiles to develop his small business in his home province of Phú Yên.

Phạm Hồng Bảo, owner of a handicraft factory in Tuy Hòa City, has succeeded in developing an environmentally-friendly product, winning artistic acclaim for his work.

Coconut shells have long been a popular material in the country for making eating utensils such as bowls and trays. In 2005, Bảo took advantage of the coconut shell’s hardness and natural beauty to make ornamental tiles.

"I crushed the coconut shells and fixed them with special glue, and then put them under pressure to create the tiles,’’ he said.

“This helps products have very beautiful designs created by natural patterns on coconut shells put together at random," said Bao, who has experience in the fine arts.

Bảo said the production cost of coconut shells is cheap, around VNĐ20,000 (US$1) for one kilo.

 “I buy three tonnes of coconut shells from local farmers per month. My factory’s products are exported to the US, Japan and Germany, earning more than VNĐ2 billion ($90,000) in income per year,” said the 36-year-old businessman.

His factory now has more than 100 labourers, mostly youth who are poor or disabled, who earn at least VNĐ3 million ($140) per month.

"Bảo’s business has contributed to the province’s handicrafts and created more ways for local young people to earn a stable job,” Trần Quang Nhứt, deputy chairman of Phú Yên’s People’s Committee, said.

Việt Nam now has more than 200,000 hectares of coconut trees, which produce millions of coconuts each year.

The coconut is a versatile fruit that can be used in food and drinks, cosmetics, furniture and handicrafts.

However, many farmers still do not know how to make the most use of the coconuts they grow. Many remain poor because they grow low-yield varieties and use outdated farming and processing techniques. -- VNS