Source: thanhnien.vn
“We received instructions Cambodia Implement planting project rubber on Valentine’s Day February 14, 2011 on a 16-seat car. Since then, the brothers have stayed to fight, sacrificed a lot, and worked hard to get to where they are today,” Mr. Trinh Van Hoang, Director Dau Tieng – Kratie Rubber Joint Stock Company cum Dau Tieng Cambodia Rubber Joint Stock Company told us in the car back to the farm.
On the afternoon of September 27, the two companies’ farms were covered in white rain. Because we were not able to visit the project, our group sat and talked with all rubber company officials, thanks to which we heard interesting stories about the rubber development journey here.
Rubber project by VRG developed in Kratie province with 100% of workers being Cambodian
“We eat and live in the middle of the forest…”
The year 2011, when it was just starting out Cambodia Implementing a project of nearly 4,300 hectares of rubber, transportation problems in the project area are very difficult. Mr. Hoang recounted that, because there were no roads, the staff had to spend half a day walking along open trails where people often went to pull firewood. On weekdays, rubber cadres stay at the center, but when they go to the forest, they bring their personal luggage and tents to the forest to rest on site. Lacking food and water, you have to go to the market more than 100 km away from the project. We joked, “If we work so hard, would anyone give up and return to Vietnam?” Mr. Hoang said: “Because when we leave we have a purpose and an ideal, we encourage each other to stay.”
After many efforts, two companies Dau Tieng – Kratie and Dau Tieng Cambodia achieved their economic goals. Rubber plots planted in 2011 began to be harvested in 2018 and achieved high yields.
Talking to us, most of them were officials from the early days of project implementation. We heard stories about times when it was pouring rain, motorbikes could not drive into the project area, officials and rubber workers had to go by bulldozers or climb on crawler vehicles. “We eat and live in the middle of the forest, work hard but have fun, trying to “live” with the whole machine. I accept my job”… it’s like reliving a young age, everyone’s eyes are filled with emotion , excited when remembering.
Mr. Tran Van Anh, Deputy Director of the company, recounted that in 2011, the group of cadres who went to Cambodia had a clear ideology, stuck with it and returned with results: “Back then it was very difficult, not like now. However, we were only 30 or 40 years old, so we were very enthusiastic and did anything difficult or difficult. At that time, Director Hoang did not have a family yet.”
The company’s worker housing row is cozy when workers come home from work
Even though there is currently no grid power system, the collective of officials and rubber employees of the two companies are still resilient. Rubber officials find joy through sports activities, participating in worker weddings, and attending village festivals. The collective of officers and employees (including Cambodian officers) is like a family, loving and united, putting the interests of workers first.
Currently, the two companies do not have production factories. After harvesting the latex, the two companies transport the latex to Dong Phu Rubber Joint Stock Company about 180 km away for production. In 2022, Dau Tieng – Kratie Rubber Joint Stock Company will achieve an exploitation output of nearly 2,500 tons, and Dau Tieng Cambodia Rubber Joint Stock Company will achieve an exploitation output of more than 2,000 tons.
Priority is given to building housing for workers
From 2021 – 2022, the two companies will start making profits. However, rubber workers and officials still devote all their economic resources and enthusiasm to production development and social security. It will not be until 2021 that the temporary camps of rubber officials will be replaced by new, more spacious offices.
“It’s good to be profitable. For the past ten years, we have encouraged each other to try our best. If we have enough economic capacity, we will invest gradually, we cannot invest too much. We guarantee safety. social welfare for workers who are all Cambodian, we must build schools, build houses for workers first and then build houses for officials later,” Mr. Hoang confided.
Dau Tieng – Kratie Rubber Joint Stock Company and Dau Tieng Cambodia share the same operating and management apparatus. Due to its location being very far from the center, the company wants to harmonize socio-economic benefits, so this place has not yet had electricity. Therefore, officials and workers are currently using solar energy for electricity. The male officers’ room only has basic electrical equipment such as fans and lights. Female officers’ rooms are given priority when equipped with hair dryers and ironing machines.
The two rubber companies currently have more than 700 workers. At first, labor recruitment was difficult, so rubber officials went to villages with large populations every day to call and propagate. Later, the company mobilized by asking workers who worked in the company to call and introduce jobs to their families, neighbors… The company has a policy of recruiting Cambodian workers since it started planting trees. , so that workers can both learn a trade and work for a salary. However, local workers typically have little long-term commitment.
When the rain stopped, it was already dark. This is the time when rubber workers live and eat, so we went to Mr. Tirso’s grocery store to chat. Mr. Tirso is over 40 years old this year and has worked at a rubber company for nearly 10 years.
Previously, Mr. Tirso was a truck mechanic. Because of the low-income nature of his car repair job, he was introduced to work as a rubber company worker. In 2012 and 2013, the rubber project began to take shape, Mr. Tirso was the leader calling workers to work.
In 2013, the company supported Mr. Tirso to build a house and open a grocery store on the farm to sell to rubber workers. Every day, his wife is at home selling goods, and he is an agricultural employee of farm 2, Dau Tieng Kratie Rubber Joint Stock Company.
Tirso and his wife’s grocery store
Around 5 or 6 pm is the time when Mr. Tirso’s grocery store sells the best products. This is the time to cook dinner so workers go out to buy vegetables, fruits, eggs… busily. He and his wife also often short-sell to workers, record debt, and pay at the end of the month when the workers receive their salaries. Since working as a rubber worker, the couple’s income and life have been stable to take care of their family and children.
“My salary at the company is about 300 USD and I get it every month. Vietnamese people are friendly and sociable. If you don’t know anything, ask Vietnamese officials for guidance. People live in our country. Don’t rely on authority, always listen to what we have to say,” Mr. Tirso told us.
Dau Tieng Cambodia Rubber Joint Stock Company was established in 2009; Project of planting and exploiting nearly 2,300 hectares of rubber in Kratie province, Kingdom of Cambodia in 2011, registered charter capital of 450 billion VND. Mining output in 2022 is more than 2,000 tons.
Dau Tieng – Kratie Rubber Joint Stock Company was established in 2009; project to plant and exploit about 2,000 hectares of rubber in Kratie province in 2012, registered charter capital of 450 billion VND. Mining output in 2022 is nearly 2,500 tons.
