Whole-hearted for Homeland

At the invitation of the Vietnam Rubber Group, we had a chance to pay a visit to Mang Yang Rubber Company very on the day of the opening ceremony to put the SVR 10-20 latex processing line into operation in Dak Doa district, Gia Lai province. What we can feel beside the endless spreading rubber forest is an animation and joy clearly shown on the faces of the company's staff. It is very hard to imagine that such a potential Mang Yang Rubber Company used to be on the brink of bankruptcy.

A 25 year stage
In 1983, the Vietnam Rubber General Office (then changed into Vietnam National Rubber Corporation, then Vietnam Rubber Group) assigned Phuoc Hoa Rubber Company to take the duty of setting up a new company in Mang Yang district in Gia Lai - Kon Tum province (Now Dak Doa district in Gia Lai). On 6th February 1984, Mang Yang Rubber Company was officially founded under a decision of the General Director of the Vietnam Rubber General Office. Since then the date of 6th February has become the traditional day and the birthday of Mang Yang Rubber Company.

Afterward, Chu Se II Rubber Company was merged into Mang Yang Rubber Company by the Vietnam National Rubber Corporation in 2001. Upon the mergence, the company possessed 7,728.74 hectare square including 4,266.21 hectares reserved for planting rubbers used for exploitation and processing and 47 hectares reserved for planting coffee. However, the company's productivity was very modest at that time, standing at only 6.7 quintals/hectare.

By intensifying the management operation and carrying out intensive cultivation, the company's productivity has continuously increased, reaching 8.6 quintals, 9 quintals and 1.15 tonnes per hectare in 2002, 2003 and 2008, respectively. The Company's output, revenue as well as the employees' income have correspondingly increased. In 2003, the Company exploited 3,100 tonnes of latex (equivalently dried), obtaining an output valued at VND54.6 billion, creating a revenue of VND13.7 billion and a per capita income for employees of VND1 million per month. Then, in 2007, the company exploited 6,215 tonnes with VND206 billion of revenue, VND58.9 billion of profit and VND2.4 million of monthly per capita income for employees.

Despite the difficult situation caused by the global economic recession in 2008, the Company succeeded in maintaining its revenue at nearly VND270 billion (including US$5 million gained from export operation), its profit of VND69.8 billion, contributing VND12 billion to the State budget. The Company also fulfilled and even 10 percent over its targeted output and created VND3 million per capita income for its staff.

For the past 25 years, thanks to the devotion, intelligence and the hard-working attitude of its staff, an uncultivated mountainous area has been shifted into 7,869.51 hectares of verdant luxuriant rubber forest, including 7,348.71 hectares reserved for exploitation with the productivity of 1.15 tonnes per hectare, which has created jobs for 3,300 staffs. The company has invested into the construction of a RSS latex processing factory with a productivity of 3,000 tonnes per annum and a SVR 3L line with a productivity of 4,500 tonnes per annum. In November 2008, Mang Yang Rubber Company opened and put a SVR 10 -20 line with a productivity of 3,000 tonnes per annum into operation.

A talented captain
When Chu Se II Rubber Company was merged with Mang Yang Rubber Company in July 2001, after facing a number of upheavals and personal crisis, Mr Le Dinh Buu - the former Director of Chu Se II Rubber Company was appointed as the Director of the new established company. As soon as he took up office, Buu started the organisational rearrangement, nominating qualified and virtuous people into leading positions and demoting the unqualified as well as carrying out a suitable rotation, removal and assignment among the company's staffs. Buu also was directly involved in building the company's rules and regulations, providing strict penalties on those violating the rules and facilitating officers at intermediate level to be trained at University. As a result, after a period of seven years, the company succeeded in forming a staff with 75 engineers and two graduated officers. 

Director Le Dinh Buu has become a legend in the eyes of many people, especially workers of the Company. Buu has been attached with the land of Tay Nguyen since 1965 when his family was evacuated due to the US bombing of the area and left Binh Dinh for Pleiku to settle. He suffered a painstaking childhood, where he was required to study diligently and assist his family. Hunger and misery followed his family like a shadow, but the pains of hunger and misery gave him the courage and will to improve himself in any circumstance. He used to travel up hill and down dale to be involved in the activities of agricultural planning and rubber planting.

No matter how difficult it was, Buu was inspired with the agricultural planning and design work for the land of Tay Nguyen, of which he has attached his life. For the purpose of the development in the remote and isolated are of Bo Ngoong commune, Chu Se district founded Bo Ngoong plantation in 1989 and Mr Le Dinh Buu was assigned as its Deputy Director. Having experience in agricultural planning, Buu has had a deep and wide understanding about the land. One year later, 10 hectares of the plantation were covered by rubber trees. In 1991, Buu was nominated as the plantation's Director. However, a misfortune occurred. The Former Xo Viet Union and the Socialist nations collapsed and the capital source supplied under the Agreement between the two Governments was cut off. Like other plantations, Bo Ngoong had to face a great deal of difficulties caused by the capital shortage. To cope with those difficulties which seemed difficult to overcome, Buu had to put three hectares of coffee possessed by his family as a pledge and had his Kamas auto leased for money to buy rice for workers who took care of the rubber forest.

"No difficulty, no discovery", thanks to his self-motivated characteristic, Director Le Dinh Buu finally found a solution to the plantation by setting up a project on agro-sylvan-industrial development in the territory of Bo Ngoong commune. The project was approved by the authority and shifted into a 327 project, creating jobs for workers. With new capital source, the company planted more than 200 hectares of rubber trees under the 327 project. Since then, Bo Ngoong plantation has developed with its new name of Chu Se II Rubber Company which then merged with Mang Yang Rubber Company.

Far reaching development
After 25 years of building and development, the company had its size expanded. It now comprises seven specialised divisions, one health-care centre, six subordinated plantations and one latex processing factory equipped with three modern lines. In the third phase, a SVR 10 -20 latex processing factory with the productivity of 3,000 tonnes per annum was opened and put into operation in November 2008. This event plays an important role as a landmark for the new development of Mang Yang Rubber Company. The factory shall help in making the exploitation and processing processes in a closed cycle, diversifying products, proactively adjusting its product structure in line with the market demand, increasing the company's competitiveness, ensuring to fully collect and process the rubber latex amount supplied by farmers within the area, processing upon request of other facilities as well as saving the production cost and improving the operation efficiency of the company.

Buu said that in the time to come, the company shall further push up intensive cultivation, intensify the management and training activities for workers and apply advanced scientific measures in rubber planting, care-taking, latex exploitation and processing. The company is now planning to expand the in-country planting area to 2,000 hectares and start plant rubber in Cambodia to raise its productivity. Regarding its export, the company is paying attention to direct export. In parallel with keeping the Asia and Europe markets, the company shall reach the America market.

In the last 25 years and seven years upon the mergence with Chu Se II Rubber Company, Mang Yang Rubber Company is now taking strong steps. The rubber forests have recovered, becoming more luxuriant and providing better latex. A new life has developed. We strongly believe that under the leadership of Director Le Dinh Buu, Mang Yang Rubber Company shall excel in its business performance, developing the land of "heaven gate" (in the language of Gia Rai, "Mang Yang" means "heaven gate") into a wealthy land, contributing to agricultural industrialisation and improving careers.

 Quoc Hung