Nghe An jellyfish exported to Korea and Thailand

(Baonghean.vn) – Currently, in Dien Chau district (Nghe An), there are 6 establishments purchasing and processing jellyfish for export to Korea, Thailand, and China. In 2015 alone, the locality sold 6,000 tons of various types of jellyfish to the market, bringing in revenue of more than 150 billion VND/year.

Jellyfish fishing season in Dien Chau sea area usually starts from January to April every year. However, this year's jellyfish season lasts more than a month, so by mid-May, fishermen are still regularly going out to sea to fish. Due to low production, jellyfish prices are higher than last year (the highest price was 50,000 VND/quintal, normally 30,000 VND/quintal).

These days, Dien Chau fishermen are still actively going out to sea to exploit jellyfish.

The good news for local fishermen is that they no longer have to look for outlets or sell jellyfish at cheap prices to foreign traders as before. Because, in Dien Chau district, there are 6 jellyfish processing facilities in Dien Kim and Dien Hai communes that purchase products for the people, of which, 3 jellyfish processing facilities have an operating capacity of up to 300 tons/day.

Not only do they purchase all the jellyfish for fishermen in the district, but the owners of these establishments also invest capital (from 5-10 million VND) for a fishing household to build a raft to catch and sell the products to them; at the same time, they attract sources of goods from many places such as Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh....

Because jellyfish are not in season this year, facilities have to purchase raw materials from other provinces for processing; on average, 20-30 tons of jellyfish are purchased each day.

Mr. Nguyen Van Khanh - owner of the largest jellyfish processing facility in Dien Chau said: "Not only processing in raw form, the facility also produces ready-to-eat jellyfish with many different types that are very popular with consumers. This year, we have only exported about 1,500 tons."

After being selected, the jellyfish is put into a blender and cut into small pieces and preserved by soaking in a lot of salt so that the jellyfish pieces are firm and can be kept for a long time.

Jellyfish is a nutritious food, especially in the summer, so the market demand for this dish is very high.

At this time, raw jellyfish is purchased at 1,500 thousand VND/kg. Processed jellyfish is priced many times higher than raw jellyfish (ranging from 30,000 - 50,000 VND/kg depending on the type). In 2015, Dien Chau exported 6,000 tons of jellyfish of all kinds to the market, bringing in revenue of over 150 billion VND.

Dien Chau's processed jellyfish products are mainly exported to foreign markets such as China, Laos, Thailand, and Korea.

Processed jellyfish products are sold for 30 thousand VND/kg.

In recent years, the jellyfish exploitation and processing industry in Dien Chau has developed very well. Mr. Le The Hieu - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dien Chau said: "Although only taking place seasonally for 2-3 months, the jellyfish exploitation and processing industry has created jobs for hundreds of coastal workers, ensuring income for fishermen and contributing to local economic development. We thoroughly instruct establishments to apply modern technologies in processing, ensuring food safety and environmental protection; meeting the needs of domestic consumers and exports."

Mai Giang