Cua Chicken brand

QTO - There was a time when people in the Cua region of Cam Lo commune raised a breed of chicken known for its sweet, fragrant meat, which was famous for "eating termites during the day and sleeping in trees at night." However, when sold on the market, it was mixed in with countless other free-range chickens. Only when farmers learned to cooperate to preserve the breed, maintain quality, and uphold the reputation of the region did Cua chicken become a specialty OCOP product of Quang Tri.

Maintaining the quality of Cua chicken.

Early in the morning in the hilly region of Cam Lo, flocks of chickens run along the cassava fields, acacia groves, and grasslands. Cua chickens are not large; each adult chicken weighs only 1.2-1.5 kg. Their characteristic behavior is to forage for termite mounds during the day and climb trees to sleep at night. This constant movement results in firm, sweet, flavorful meat with naturally yellow skin and little fat.

Mr. Vu Van Bac, head of the Cua Chicken Cooperative in Cam Lo commune, said that what makes Cua chicken a renowned brand is not simply the free-range farming method, but the quality of the meat created by the natural conditions of the red basalt soil of Cua region and the long-standing farming experience of the local people.

“To maintain the renowned quality and delicious taste of Cua chicken from the Cam Lo hill region, we always require farmers to adhere to procedures, ensure the quality of the breed, and limit the use of industrial feed to preserve the firmness and characteristic flavor. Instead of raising chickens individually, we cooperate through a cooperative to jointly maintain the breed, control quality, and build a common brand. Currently, the Cua Chicken Cooperative has 8 members with a total flock of approximately 25,000 chickens, raised over a 4-month period. Participating households all keep breeding logs, control the breed source, administer vaccinations, and follow care procedures. These requirements, once considered ‘cumbersome,’ have now become mandatory conditions if we want to maintain the product’s reputation,” Mr. Bac said.

Cua chicken has been branded, bringing high income to the people - Photo: NTH

According to Mr. Bac, the current selling price of Cua chicken is equivalent to the price of free-range chicken in the area. However, thanks to the controlled breeding process according to OCOP 3-star standards, the output of Cua chicken products is more stable than before. Many restaurants and hotels proactively place regular orders because they trust the quality of the product.

Significantly, along with the development of OCOP products, the people of Cua region have become more aware of the value of their native chicken breed. In many rural areas, local livestock breeds are gradually disappearing due to the pursuit of high productivity. But with Cua chickens, the people understand that if the original breed is lost, the brand will also lose its meaning.

Taking the Cua chicken brand to a wider audience.

What is noticeable in the Cua chicken farming region today is the shift in mindset regarding agricultural economic development. People no longer raise chickens in a "sell whatever you can" manner, but are beginning to think about market standards, traceability, and long-term brand value.

According to Le Anh Chuong, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Cam Lo commune, the locality has identified Cua chicken as a distinctive product with the potential to develop into a sustainable commodity chain linked to the collective economy and build a local agricultural product brand.

“In the past, the former Cam Lo district has supported the Cua Chicken Cooperative in linking production, registering product trademarks, tracing origins, obtaining VietGAP certification, and participating in the province's OCOP product cycle in 2021. Continuing the policy of supporting the development of key crops and livestock with local strengths, Cam Lo commune will continue to support the Cua Chicken Cooperative in expanding production linkages, building a quality-assured breeding area, and gradually completing the consumption chain. The locality also aims to link the development of Cua chicken products with the promotion of culinary culture and experiential tourism in the Cam Lo hilly region, especially promoting the Cua chicken breed that was once offered to the king, in conjunction with exploiting and developing tourism to visit the historical site "Temple of King Ham Nghi and the generals of the Can Vuong movement in the Cua region," Cam Lo commune,” Mr. Chuong said.

From a familiar breed of chicken found in the hilly regions, Cua chicken is gradually becoming a branded product of the area. At weddings, funerals, or when entertaining honored guests, boiled Cua chicken from Cam Lo commune is often mentioned as a unique specialty of the southwestern hilly region of Quang Tri province. It also represents a journey of farmers learning to cooperate with each other to maintain the reputation of their local agricultural products and to bring the Cua chicken specialty to a wider market.

Thanh Hai

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/kinh-te/202605/thuong-hieu-ga-cua-49725e4/