Ms. Le Thi Truong Han stands beside her products made from fermented freshwater fish.
Great benefits from freshwater fish
Vinh Tuong commune is a low-lying area, and from July to October of the lunar calendar each year, the fields are flooded. Instead of growing rice, the people here raise fish in the rice paddies or catch various types of freshwater fish. These are the main ingredients for the local fish sauce making industry.
Growing up in this area, Ms. Le Thi Truong Han, residing in Hamlet 3, Vinh Tuong Commune, inherited the experience of making fermented fish sauce from previous generations. Initially, she only fermented the fish sauce for family use. About 10 years ago, she started producing it on a larger scale and developed it into Thao Nguyen Fish Sauce Production Facility.
Ms. Han said: "On average, my facility supplies the market with about 8 tons of fish sauce and 3,000 liters of freshwater fish sauce each year. To ensure this supply, I have to purchase and process more than 10 tons of various types of freshwater fish. All the fish sauce is made during the flood season, as this is when freshwater fish are most abundant and cheapest."
This season, Mrs. Han buys snakehead fish at 60,000-70,000 VND/kg, catfish at 35,000 VND/kg, and tilapia and snakehead fish at 25,000-30,000 VND/kg. After processing, the fish are fermented for nearly half a year before being packaged and sold on the market. The fermentation time for freshwater fish sauce is nearly a year. Snakehead fish sauce sells for 140,000 VND/kg; tilapia and snakehead fish sauce for 70,000-80,000 VND/kg, and freshwater fish sauce for 40,000 VND/liter. The annual revenue of Thao Nguyen Fish Sauce Production Facility is approximately 800 million VND.
Currently, Ms. Han's facility has one snakehead fish sauce product that has achieved OCOP 3-star certification, and she is in the process of establishing OCOP certification for the remaining products. According to Ms. Han, the abundant supply of freshwater fish during the flood season in the locality will ensure that the facility can expand its production scale in the future.
While not producing on a large scale like Thao Nguyen Fish Sauce Production Facility, since the beginning of the flood season, Le Van Ngo's business in Hamlet 3, Vinh Thuan Dong Commune, has also produced nearly 1 ton of fermented fish sauce from freshwater fish to sell next year. A representative of the facility stated that this production aims to maintain the brand of its two products, Six Ngo's fermented snakehead fish sauce and fermented catfish sauce, which have achieved OCOP 3-star certification for over 4 years. Currently, Six Ngo's fermented snakehead fish sauce and fermented catfish sauce are sold locally, at OCOP product outlets in Can Tho City, and on social media platforms.
Bringing fermented fish sauce from the Mekong Delta to a wider audience.
Each year, Viet Dung Trading Co., Ltd., located in Thuan Hoa hamlet, Xa Phien commune, supplies the market with over 20 tons of various types of fermented fish paste. During the flood season, the company takes advantage of the opportunity to purchase freshwater fish and produce approximately 10 tons of fish paste. The fish pastes fermented during this period will be sold during the upcoming Lunar New Year and the following year.
Currently, Viet Dung Trading Co., Ltd. offers two product lines of fish sauce, including raw fish sauces such as snakehead fish sauce, catfish sauce, tilapia sauce, and carp sauce. In particular, they offer a line of ready-to-eat fish sauces, including steamed snakehead fish sauce and steamed snakehead fish sauce in cans. Currently, steamed snakehead fish sauce (200g can) costs 50,000 VND/can; steamed tilapia sauce (250g can) costs 40,000 VND/can; raw snakehead fish sauce costs 150,000 VND/kg; carp sauce costs 100,000 VND/kg; and tilapia and snakehead fish sauce cost 80,000 VND/kg.
Mr. Pham Van Dung, Director of Viet Dung Trading Co., Ltd., said: "The company currently has 5 fish sauce products that meet OCOP 3-star standards. In particular, our ready-to-eat fish sauce products are popular because of their delicious taste and convenience. Not only are they consumed domestically through OCOP sales points, but our canned fish sauce is also frequently sought after and ordered by the Vietnamese community abroad."
Although only recently introduced to the market, Viet Dung Trading Co., Ltd. sells approximately 10,000 cans of instant fish sauce and a large quantity of raw fish sauce annually, generating revenue of over 2 billion VND per year. In addition to traditional sales channels, the company also promotes sales on social media platforms such as Zalo and TikTok, creating jobs for about 10 local workers with an income of 5-7 million VND per person per month.
During the flood season, the freshwater fish caught by local producers are preserved through the delicious and distinctive flavors of various types of fish sauce. Currently, many freshwater fish sauce products in Can Tho City have established brands and expanded their reach, bringing this Western Vietnam specialty to many regions both domestically and internationally.
Text and photos: DANG THU
Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/nhon-nhip-nghe-lam-mam-ca-dong-a194820.html
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