• Developing raw material areas for the "Thoi Binh Snakehead Fish Sauce" brand.
  • Fermented snakehead fish paste with steamed pork
  • When OCOP products become "cultural ambassadors"
  • OCOP helps agricultural products reach a wider market.

In Hamlet 4, Nguyen Phich Commune, Ms. Tran Huyen Dang's snakehead fish sauce facility is one of the typical addresses, with products meeting the 3-star OCOP provincial standard in 2024. This is not only the pride of the family, but also a testament to the efforts to preserve and develop the traditional profession of local people.

Ms. Dang said that her family has passed down the fish sauce making profession through 3 generations, with more than 50 years of attachment. “When I was young, I saw my grandmother making fish sauce, my grandmother taught it to my mother, and then my mother taught it to me. Making fish sauce is hard but fun, because it is the traditional profession of my hometown. I just hope to preserve the profession and develop and promote the product so that people far away can also know the unique flavor of the specialty U Minh snakehead fish sauce ,” Ms. Dang confided.

Ms. Dang shared her secret: to make delicious snakehead fish sauce, the most important thing is to choose fresh, live fish from the rice paddies. The fish are cleaned, drained, and marinated with salt in the right proportion. After fermenting for about a week, roasted rice flour, sugar, garlic, etc., are mixed in. All steps must be done manually, without rushing, so that the fish sauce is fragrant and the fish meat is firm.

Fermented snakehead fish paste from U Minh is being packaged and prepared for shipment for consumption within and outside the province. (Photo: CHI LINH)

Currently, Ms. Dang's facility uses raw materials from U Minh Ha snakehead fish, weighing from 100 grams to 1 kg/fish. Each kilo of fish sauce has a retail price ranging from 140,000 to 180,000 VND, depending on the size. The product is consumed strongly both inside and outside the province. Each month, the facility supplies the market with over 1 ton of snakehead fish sauce, and during Tet, the amount of goods sold increases 2-3 times compared to normal days.

To promote her products, Ms. Dang utilizes social media platforms like Zalo, Facebook, and TikTok to introduce her snakehead fish sauce to customers. She happily shared: "Many customers order online; some are from as far away as Binh Duong and Dong Nai, and some even buy it to send abroad as Tet gifts. I'm very happy that our hometown product is becoming more widely known."

Not only does it bring a stable income to her family, Ms. Dang’s facility also creates regular jobs for many local workers. From a small-scale handicraft, now the snakehead fish sauce product has a brand name, with quality meeting 3-star OCOP standards, opening up a sustainable development direction for traditional products of U Minh.

Ms. Dang's fermented snakehead fish paste from U Minh forest has been recognized as a 3-star OCOP product at the provincial level in 2024. (Photo: CHI LINH)

Mr. Huynh Hoang Tuong, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Nguyen Phich Commune, said: "Snakehead fish sauce is a typical local product, both imbued with the identity of the U Minh region and having potential for economic development. In the coming time, the commune will coordinate with the province's professional agencies to organize training courses to improve management capacity, marketing skills, and brand building for OCOP subjects. At the same time, propose preferential loans to support establishments to invest in more machinery, improve designs and packaging, to meet current market requirements."

Fermented snakehead fish paste from U Minh is not only a rustic dish closely associated with rural meals, but also a source of pride for the people of this riverine region . From natural freshwater fish, through the skillful hands of the makers, each jar of fermented snakehead fish paste embodies culture, labor, and love for the homeland, while also encapsulating the dedication to preserving traditional crafts.

Achieving 3-star OCOP standards not only helps products reach further in the market, but also opens up a sustainable direction, helping U Minh people develop the economy and enhance the value of products from traditional crafts./.

Truc Linh

Source: https://baocamau.vn/mam-ca-loc-dong-u-minh-vao-ocop-a123323.html