Mulberries Farm Seeks Further Collaboration With Maybank on Silk Weaving

From Sharifah Pirdaus Syed Ali VIENTIANE, Oct 14 (Bernama) -- Lao Sericulture Co Ltd (Mulberries Farm) seeks further collaboration with Maybank Foundation in an effort to expand silk weaving industry in Laos and help more poor families in the country to earn a living. Its founder, Ramon Magsaysay 2015 award winner and 2005 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, Kommaly Chantavong said she established the cooperative with ten members and an initial capital of about US$1,000 in 1976, and currently has more than 3,000 members. “To date, Mulberries Farm has helped over 200 families and hopes to help 600 families by 2020, with the aid of better training facilities and accommodation provided by Maybank Foundation,” she told reporters after the opening of the cooperative’s new hostel here last Friday. Mulberries Farm was established in 1993 in Xiangkhouang Province, Laos and serves as a training and support centre in silkworm rearing, art and weaving. It also has some 42 hectares of land for planting Mulberry trees whose leaves are used to feed silkworms. Kommaly said on average, each weaver could weave about 20-30 cm of silk a day depending on the design. “Production is based on market demand and designs, and up to 2,000 pieces of various products can be produced in a month. “Currently, 70 per cent of the products are marketed locally and the balance are exported to countries including Australia, the US, Japan and Canada,” she said. Kommaly hoped to further increase production capacity with better facilities provided by the Maybank Foundation and to reach more markets with the help from the bank. Malayan Banking Bhd and Maybank Foundation Chairman Mohaiyani Shamsuddin said the opening of the hostel was aimed at overcoming problems faced by trainees at the centre, where some had to travel for up to two days to reach the farm and then attending the 15-day onsite training programme. Maybank Foundation has allocated RM350,000 to expand the silk weaving centre this year and also for the construction of the new hostel and for training support. Mohaiyani said the hostel was designed by renowned architect Johann Nawawi on a pro-bono basis, and was inspired by the archaeological landscape in the Plain of Jars, a well-known UNESCO heritage site in Laos. “It will be able to accommodate up to 20 trainees and comes with a meeting room to give a safe and conducive environment for training,” she said. Kommaly said the weavers earned about 800,000 kip (RM390) a month depending on the hours worked, out of which a minimum of 50,000 kip (RM45) would be placed into the workers’ bank accounts as savings. “The amount 50,000 kip can be used as school tuition fee for a year in certain parts in Laos,” she added. Maybank Foundation Chief Executive Officer Shahril Azuar Jimin said in an effort to promote Laotion weaving products to international markets, Maybank would bring Kommaly to Kuala Lumpur under the Maybank Women Eco-Weavers programme from Oct 15-26, for an exhibition at Maybank Art Gallery. He said the exhibition would also showcase products from Cambodia and Indonesia and promote them to the bank’s high net-worth customers. “The foundation is also exploring Maybank2U as a platform to improve the visibility and market the products,” he added. -- BERNAMA