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Handicrafts industry urged to work together
Handicraft producers need to co-operate with each other to tap and maximise their export potential, says Vu Quoc Tuan, Chairman of the Viet Nam Handicraft Villages Association.
He said at a recent meeting that most handicraft villages and facilities in the nation operated on a small scale, so they were unable to take on large orders. "The lack of co-operation between enterprises has hindered their capacity to handle large orders," Tuan said.
His call for increased co-operation came at a time when the handicraft industry was facing many difficulties including a shortage of materials and complicated export procedures.
The Agro-Forestry-Fishery Products Processing and Trade Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said the handicraft industry was having to import 60 per cent of its materials for production, increasing costs and making its products less competitive.
The prices of several raw materials in the domestic market, like bamboo, have also increased.
The Minh Phu Co., Ltd, which makes wooden handicraft products, said it had to refuse an order worth US$1 million because it did not have sufficient production capacity.
Yoko Kawaguchi, senior consultant with the ASEAN-Japan Centre, said handicraft products by Vietnamese producers were also relatively poor in design and carried less local characteristics to make a firm impact in the international market.
He said the producers should conduct surveys to learn market trends and better understand customers' needs.
The LP Design Company admitted that several handicraft products with traditional features were unable to compete in international markets since they did not match customers' tastes.
vietnamnews
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