The seafood processing village is quiet and deserted.

(Baonghean.vn) - The end of the year is usually the busiest season for seafood processing facilities, as the demand for dried seafood products such as squid, shrimp, dried fish paste, fish fillets, and fish sauce increases significantly during the Tet holiday.

As in previous years, processing facilities have been working tirelessly, with the entire craft village bustling with hundreds of workers busily producing goods for the market. Orders poured in, and buyers and sellers jostled to purchase goods. However, at this point, with only a little over two weeks left until the Lunar New Year, the atmosphere of production and sales in many craft villages and seafood processing facilities is extremely quiet.

In Dien Chau these days, the processing facilities haven't seen the familiar hustle and bustle of previous years. Mr. Nguyen Van Dung, Vice Chairman of the Dien Ngoc Commune People's Committee, said: "Compared to previous years, when buyers crowded the area, this year is completely the opposite. Processing facilities are having great difficulty finding buyers. Last year, items like dried squid and peeled shrimp were already in short supply by this time. Many people from other places had to compete with each other to buy them."

Fish sauce processing facilities in Dien Chau are worried.
due to low consumer demand

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hoa (Dong Loc hamlet, Dien Ngoc commune), the owner of a frozen food processing facility, said: "Due to the high increase in input costs, we also have to increase our selling prices. Depending on the product, but for items like sun-dried squid or dried shrimp, the price has risen to over 400,000 VND/kg. These products are mainly exported to China; our people simply can't afford to buy them."

Reportedly, Mr. Hoa exports about 3 tons of goods each month through unofficial channels. However, with the border crossing about to close at the end of the year, Mr. Hoa doesn't know where to sell his products. "People in the district only come to buy a few kilograms near Tet (Lunar New Year). We've tried to reduce input costs so that consumers can access our products, but it hasn't made much difference."

The most dismal situation is still faced by small, independent fish sauce processing facilities. This is the time when many facilities release their products for sale after a year of fermenting the fish. However, many are very worried. Ms. Tran Thi Chuyen (Dong Loc hamlet, Dien Ngoc commune) sadly stated: "On a good day, we sell more than 10 liters, but some days we don't sell a single liter. At this time last year, my family sold more than 50 liters a day, but this year it's very difficult."

Mrs. Chuyen's family currently has 50 fish sauce vats, making them one of the small-scale producers in Dien Bich commune, where many households have nearly 200 vats. After 1.5 years of fermenting fish using traditional methods, this is the time when the fish sauce reaches a high protein content. Not only Mrs. Chuyen's family, but many fish sauce processing facilities are facing a dilemma because they can't sell their products. "Currently, the market offers many types of fish sauce like Chin Su and Nam Ngu with attractive packaging, convenience, and extensive advertising."

"Although our fish sauce has a protein content many times higher, it's still very difficult to compete with other brands," Ms. Chuyen said. In Dien Bich commune, the buying and selling atmosphere isn't much better. According to Mr. Thach Dinh Nghia, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of the commune, the commune's fish sauce consumption in 2011 was only 2 million out of 3 million liters, reaching only 66% of the planned target. Dien Bich commune has more than 100 households producing fish sauce, consuming over 1 billion liters annually, generating nearly 18 billion VND in revenue.

Mr. Nguyen Van Dien's household is one of the largest fish sauce processing facilities in the commune, but sales in the last month of the year are very sluggish. "Although our fish sauce has a brand name and is popular with consumers, it's still very difficult to sell. If this continues, we'll have to give up the business. Not being able to sell our products will spoil the joy of this year's Tet holiday," Mr. Dien shared.

The main reason given by most business owners is the scarcity of raw materials at the end of the year. Therefore, increased input costs have forced these businesses to raise selling prices. On average, items such as dried squid, dried shrimp, and anchovies have all increased in price by 20-30%. "Last year, in the last month of the year, my agency sold nearly 10 tons of dried goods and over 1000 liters of fish sauce. But this year, dried goods are mainly bought by individual customers in small quantities, and we've only sold over 300 liters of fish sauce," confided Mr. Le Duc Tuan, the owner of a seafood agency.

The decline in production and consumption at seafood processing facilities will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the lives of the people, especially those working in these facilities. Tet (Lunar New Year) is approaching, but perhaps the atmosphere will be less joyful for the people in these coastal areas...?

Pham Bang