Lesson 3: Seafood processing flourishes

(Baonghean) -Currently, coastal districts have formed hundreds of production facilities, processing villages and many individual businesses, creating conditions for job creation, increasing income, and stabilizing the lives of thousands of coastal households. In addition to traditional products, people have made efforts to research and invest in processing many new high-quality products, not only for domestic consumption but also for export, bringing in large revenues and creating a breakthrough for the seafood processing industry.

Favored by nature with 25km of coastline and 9 coastal communes, Dien Chau has great potential and advantages for developing the marine economy. Every year, fishermen exploit about 30,000 tons of shrimp and fish of all kinds, creating an abundant source of raw materials for the development of the processing industry. In addition to traditional products such as fish sauce, shrimp paste, dried goods, frozen goods, etc., businesses and processing facilities also invest in modern technology to diversify products, meeting market demand such as fish meal, jellyfish, fish fillets, shrimp, etc. Among the new products, jellyfish exports are growing strongly, because of the abundant source of raw materials and large consumer market; attracting a lot of workers, both those involved in catching and processing. If in the past, the district only had the traditional jellyfish product of the people, low value, small consumption among the people, now there are 10 establishments investing in machinery and equipment, factories processing instant jellyfish products, dried jellyfish meeting food hygiene and safety standards, specializing in supplying to restaurants and supermarkets in the city. Vinh, Hanoi, Hai Phong and exported to China with an annual consumption output of about 8,000 tons... The whole district currently has 2 craft villages, 3 enterprises and over 300 concentrated seafood processing establishments and households, annually processing and consuming about 10-12 million liters of fish sauce, 2,000-3,000 tons of shrimp floss, 20 tons of shrimp, 300 tons of fish meal and 400-500 tons of various types of dried goods..., attracting about 2,000 workers to participate with an average income of 2-4 million VND/person/month.

Processing frozen fish in Quynh Phuong commune (Quynh Luu)



Mr. Nguyen Van Hung's fish fillet processing facility - Dong Loc hamlet, Dien Ngoc commune (Dien Chau)
Together with Mr. Thach Dinh Nghia, Vice Chairman of Dien Bich Commune People's Committee, we visited Dien Xoan processing facility (in Hai Nam hamlet) of Mr. Nguyen Van Dien, one of the largest fish sauce producers in the commune. His family currently has 50 tanks, producing 70-80 tons of fish sauce per year, equivalent to about 700 thousand liters of fish sauce, of which about 25% is fish sauce essence. When we tasted the fish sauce produced by his family, we understood why Dien Bich's traditional product has maintained its reputation through many generations and won the trust of customers. In 2011 alone, Dien Bich produced and consumed 1,090 million liters of fish sauce, 340 tons of shrimp paste, with revenue reaching 18 billion VND. The whole commune currently has more than 100 fish sauce producers, of which 20 households produce about 80 tons of fish sauce per year...

With a length of 34km, Quynh Luu is one of the districts with the longest coastline in the province. Promoting that advantage, in recent years, in addition to promoting exploitation, the district has focused on developing the seafood processing industry. Thanks to that, the marine economy has continuously grown, contributing to increasing the economic growth rate. Along with Phu Loi seafood processing village (Quynh Di commune), coastal communes such as Quynh Lap, Quynh Phuong, Quynh Long, Tien Thuy... are also diverse seafood processing localities in the district. Every year, Quynh Luu's seafood processing industry continuously develops, especially in the form of private enterprises and households. Currently, the whole district has 2 joint stock companies, 5 limited liability companies, 6 enterprises, 2 fish sauce processing villages and thousands of households operating in the field of seafood processing and services. The total annual output of frozen processed products averages 5,800 - 6,000 tons, with a total value of over 200 billion VND. Mr. Nguyen Xuan Dinh, Head of the Department of Agriculture of Quynh Luu district, said: "Through annual assessments, the seafood processing industry has both developed and actively supported the district's exploitation industry. In the coming time, the district will continue to have policies to develop the processing industry. Currently, the district has planned a concentrated seafood processing area in Quynh Di commune and has a policy to build a concentrated processing area in Lach Quen".

Located not far from Cua Lo resort (about 1-2 km), Nghi Thuy ward has long been known to many tourists for its famous seafood processing profession of Nghe An. Previously, like some other localities, Nghi Thuy's seafood processing profession was still on a small scale, the products were mainly served to people in the town and neighboring areas. Along with the economic and tourism development of the town, besides, the ward has a favorable geographical location (the East borders the sea, is where the wharf is concentrated, the hub of many key traffic routes, has Hom market, is the place where abundant seafood resources are concentrated). Seizing the opportunity, people in the ward have expanded the processing profession to serve tourists. In particular, since 2006, the number of participating households has increased, in 2009 there were 37 households, by 2011 there were 50 households/157 households (accounting for 31.8%) with 95 regular workers; the main products are shrimp paste, fish sauce, dried squid, steamed and dried fish... Especially shrimp, the average consumption output is over 200 tons/year. Mr. Hoang Van Yen, in block 7 - the owner of 2 processing facilities said: The profession of making shrimp has existed for decades, closely associated with the seafaring life of many families. To have quality shrimp, the correct process must be followed, from the stage of selecting raw materials, boiling, peeling to drying and packaging. About 10kg of fresh shrimp can produce 1kg of peeled shrimp, currently the selling price is from 500,000 to 600,000 VND/kg but there is not enough to meet market demand". Nghi Thuy peeled shrimp has a high reputation in the market, because the households always pay attention to product quality, do not use chemicals, and ensure food hygiene and safety. From the seafood processing profession, it has helped the people here increase their income from 18.6 million VND/person (in 2009) to nearly 20 million VND/person (in 2011). In June 2011, Block 7, Nghi Thuy Ward was recognized by the Provincial People's Committee as a seafood processing and preservation village. The seafood processing profession here has become an attractive shopping destination for tourists coming to Cua Lo for vacation...

Despite the rapid annual growth, the seafood processing sector in the province still faces many difficulties and shortcomings that need to be resolved. In fact, most of the people's processing facilities are traditional manual, the products are still in raw form, small and spontaneous, and have not invested in technology to achieve higher value, meeting the conditions for ensuring food hygiene and safety and environmental sanitation. In addition, the source of raw materials for processing facilities is unstable, because aquatic resources are increasingly depleted. On the other hand, our province is greatly affected by two wind seasons, the Northeast monsoon and the Southeast monsoon, creating two main fishing seasons in the year: the Northern fish season and the Southern fish season, which has affected the output of seafood exploitation. This causes high seasonality in the processing industry. The registration of labels and trademarks for products; Applying quality management programs, investing in product promotion, and developing consumer markets is still limited...

Ngoc Anh