Phu Thuan shrimp paste is famous near and far
The value of the traditional profession has not been fully promoted
After getting married, for more than 10 years, Ms. Bui Thi Van (Cu Lai hamlet, Phu Hai village, Phu Vang - a district located 15km east of Hue city) has gone into the family's traditional profession. Currently, her family produces about 80 tons of shrimp paste and nearly 1,000 liters of fish sauce every year. However, due to difficulties in promoting and accessing the market, the family's products are only sold to traders, so the profit is not high.
Ms. Van said: "I started making shrimp paste from a young age, so I know very well the marinating technique. Just by looking at the shrimp, I can determine the quality of the product. However, with the aforementioned production scale, minus expenses, the family only earns about 100-150 million VND per year. Thus, only seasonal idle labor in the year could be taken advantage of”.
Like Ms. Van, Mr. Nguyen Duc Dinh has a profession of producing traditional shrimp paste in Phu Hai, which is known by many traders and has become a famous "address" in the Phu Vang coastal area. He said, since 2008, the family has shifted to focusing on commodity production to keep the family's craft. Since then, the family has remained loyal to the traditional way of making shrimp paste combined with modern methods, such as investing in the production facility, and pressing and filtering equipment...
Every September and October, fresh tiny-shrimp caught at sea in the locality and other places are purchased and mixed with salt in a certain ratio. The salt for marinating must be white, clean, crushed, and fermented for about 6-7 months, then put into bottles and jars, and sold in local markets, and through intermediaries to Quang Tri, Quang Binh, Yen Bai...
“We are very confident with the quality of our family's product because it is checked annually by an authorized department, certified for food safety and hygiene, and has a brand name. However, due to the small production scale, we have yet been able to expand the market. Therefore, the revenue and profit are just enough to cover our daily family life," Mr. Dinh shared.
The household scale of production in Phu Hai is also the general situation of fish sauce and shrimp paste production in the Phu Vang coastal area. From producing fish sauce and shrimp paste as the main occupation, many families now consider it a secondary job or a part-time job for housewives in the family.
Ms. Le Thi Be Ba, Director of Phu Thuan Seafood Processing and Production Cooperative (Phu Vang), said that the quality of local fish sauce and shrimp paste is recognized by many consumers inside and outside the province. Many families each year ferment hundreds of tons of shrimp paste but have not been able to get rich from the profession left by their ancestors. This difficulty is rooted in many factors, among which is the reason that many households and production facilities are not aware of the importance of building and developing brand names. Currently, there is still the production concept of "Good wine needs no bush"...
Opportunity to go far
According to Mr. Dang Tien Tuy, Chairman of Phu Thuan Commune People's Committee, the reason for the above limitation is that households and establishments are small, scattered and lack connection, so it is difficult to access capital. They also do not understand the market mechanism and brand promotion.
To overcome this difficulty, many solutions are needed, in which, in addition to mechanisms and policies, local functional departments need the collaboration of many related organizations and units to support the development and protection of the brand names, such as focusing on media and communication, product display, and participation in exhibitions inside and outside the locality.
In fact, at present, Hue shrimp paste products are mainly concentrated in the coastal area of Phu Vang, Phu Loc, Quang Dien... It is not only consumed in many places but also a top specialty among the seasoning ingredients and plays an important role in Hue culinary arts and culture. As a specialty with Hue's characteristics, if we know how to take advantage of good opportunities, the product brand namewill be promoted and the market for the product will be expanded. At that time, the expansion and development, the formation of trade villages and cooperatives producing fish sauce and shrimp paste on a large scale, bringing high efficiency will no longer face with barrier.
Mr. Hoang Nhat Linh, Deputy Director of the Provincial Center for Science and Technology Application said that the province has issued many plans to implement regulations to support organizations, businesses, and trade villages to build and promote the trade village brand names, and to research and create innovative product designs. The province also encourages and supports the businesses to formulate a master plan for the development of traditional trades and specialties of Hue, establish policy on innovation, improve and transfer technology and develop intellectual property in the area in the period 2021-2030...
In which, there is support to implement projects to build, manage and develop brand name certification, collective brand names, and geographical indications for specialties, trade village products, and local specific products. Currently, the center is implementing the project Creation, protection and promotion of the collective brand name "Hue shrimp paste".
The goals of the project are to assist 100% of collectives and households in the province with intellectual property activities, such as being trained in knowledge about creating, managing, protecting and developing intellectual property... ; and to ensure at least 80% of goods and service products are supported to be branded and registered for protection of intellectual property rights, with priority given to inventions, industrial designs, trademarks and collective marks .. .
This is an opportunity to bring "Hue shrimp paste" to further markets, improving efficiency and income for local families.
Story and photo: Song Minh