Vietnamese man turns areca spathe into items for exports

The products made of areca spathes

In the past, when spathes of areca trees falls, they were used to make fans or baits to light a fire while children used them to play. Yet over the past few years, a young man named Nguyen Van Tuyen has made spathes of areca trees into useful and environmentally friendly items for export to many countries such as the US, Canada, Korea, Poland, and India.

Son Tay district and Nghia Hanh districts in the Central province of Quang Ngai have been known as the land of areca. In the past, local people harvested fruits of areca trees for sale. Other than that, areca trees were no longer useful. Local inhabitants used spathes of areca trees as baits to start a fire, as a fan, or for children to play.

However, for a few years now, Nguyen Van Tuyen from Phu Yen Province has come to Nghia Hanh and turned spathes of areca trees into useful and environmentally friendly items for export to many countries.

Spathes of areca trees turn into useful items such as plates, spoons, cups, trays, fans, paintings

Spathes of areca trees turn into useful items such as plates, spoons, cups, trays, fans, paintings

Spathes of areca trees turn into useful items such as plates, spoons, cups, trays, fans, paintings

Areca spathes are washed, dried and sorted to be put into the production line

Workers sort, cut and use heat to press and shape products

Workers load areca spathe products onto a truck for consumption in the market