Nam Dinh shifts garments and textiles industry to rural areas

For years now, Nam Dinh has been famous for being a big garments and textile industrial centre. Recently, the industry has been shifted quickly to rural areas in the localities, creating jobs and increasing incomes for local farmers.

For more than two years now, Pham Thi Thom living in hamlet No 14, Xuan Kien commune, Xuan Truong district does not have to cycle to the township everyday to work and back home in the afternoon though she is still a garment worker.

Different from her friends, Thom can not afford to rent an apartment in Nam Dinh city to work for enterprises in My Trung, Hoa Xa industrial parks.

Things were different in 2006 when a Song Hong Garments Joint Stock Company opened a big workshop in Xuan Truong township. Thom applied for a job and after a month of probation, Thom and a dozen of her friends were accepted with long-term job contracts.

Now Thom has a stable salary of VND 1.4 million a month and sometimes it hit VND 1.7 million a month.

Yet, Thom is much happier when she can work near her home, as she said to us.

According to Tran Quoc Vinh, director of Song Hong 4 garment workshop, his workshop currently had 2,000 workers, most of them are local people and want to work for the workshop for a long time. Even, workers who are working in the city have also returned home and applied to work for the workshop, Vinh added.

Though experienced workers will be given jobs right away, those novices will be trained for four months and given a month's trial before they sign in official job contracts.

Worthy of note is that land clearance for the construction of the workshop has been done quickly as the local people agreed with the building of the workshop. They understand that once the workshop is to be built, they will have the opportunities to find a job near their home without having to seek for a job far from home.

Shifting garments and textiles industry to rural areas has been a strategic orientation of many enterprises in Nam Dinh.

In recent years, five garments and textiles workshops have been built in Xuan Truong district, creating jobs for 4,000 local workers, contributing to promoting the industrial production growth of the district to 20% annually.

The shifting has shown many advantages, according to Tran Quoc Hung, deputy director of the provincial Department of Industry and Trade.

Firstly, the social burden will be much relieved for enterprises using intensive labour, such as garments and textiles enterprises.

Secondly, accommodation for workers is not a problem any more and finally social evils in the locality will also be reduced.

For districts and communes that house garments and textiles workshops, more jobs will be created for rural workers, local industrial production value will be increased.

Workers are the most beneficiaries because they can work near home, have income and as a result, they can reduce much spending whereas they work in the city they have to bear a lot of extra money, such as house rents, electricity and water bills, and more importantly, they can still live with their families.

So far, 15 garments and textiles enterprises have built their workshops in rural areas, attracting over 10,000 local workers. These include both enterprises in the province as well as leading enterprises in Vietnam garments and textiles sector such as Nha Be garments company, and Hanosimex.

In late 2006, LongJou garment company, a 100% foreign invested enterprise from Japan, invested US$5 billion to build a sport wear factory for export to the US market in Tan Thinh commune, Nam Truc district. The factory has completed its first phase of construction in early 2008 and are providing jobs for 800 local young workers. Workers living near the factory have been given priority in their recruitment because the factory leaders will not have to worry about accommodation for their employees. Workers at LongJou are now enjoying an average salary of VND 2 million a month while the average salary in other enterprises is VND 1.2 million a month.

The shifting of garments and textiles industry to rural areas has helped narrow down the gap between the rural and urban areas.

In order to further develop garments and textiles industry in rural areas, Nam Dinh should pour more investment in upgrading its road and electricity supply system. Efforts should also be made to enhance vocational training. Enterprises are urged to link production with environmental protection while local authorities are urged to create all favourable conditions, especially in capital and land, for enterprises. (Nhan Dan)