Farmers in Sam Son city, the north-central province of Thanh Hoa, have become rich by developing traditional fish sauce production and business. (Photo: VNA) Thanh Hoa (VNA) – Farmers in Sam Son city, thenorth-central province of Thanh Hoa, have become rich by developing traditionalfish sauce production and business.
The trade in Sam Son dates back over a century ago, first produced in coastalvillages of Quang Cu, Quang Tien, Trun Son and Truong Son. However, it is nowpopular in the whole city, creating jobs and good income for hundreds of locals.
As fish sauce comprises of two elements, fish and salt, local people have toprepare fresh anchovy, sardinella and decapterus, which are then washed withwater. After that alternating layers of fish and sale are placed in a woodenvat for up to 12 months to ferment. Later, the liquid of the fermentationprocess seeps down and is drained. The fish sauce is bottled before it is soldat the markets.
According to Hoang Thang Vich, Chairman of the Sam Son Seafood Association, theassociation has 26 fish sauce making households, and his family is having thelargest production establishments.
“I sell some 500 litres of fish sauce each day. My family has got richer withan average revenue of nearly 1 billion VND (42,700 USD) a year. We have 12workers, each paid 9 million VND per month.”
Currently, Vich’s fish sauce is granted with a food safety and hygienecertificate, and it is mostly consumed in Hanoi city and Hoa Binh and Bac Giangprovinces. For years, his product has been honoured as outstanding agriculturalgoods by the Vietnam Farmers’ Union.
Meanwhile, Hoang Thang Minh, a resident on Nguyen Thi Loi Street, Trung Sonward, said that his fish sauce has been on good sales besides other seafoodlike yellowstripe scad, dried squid and flower crab. The fish sauce alone bringsaround 500 million VND a year to his family, and creates jobs for 10 locallabourers.
Fish sauce production also generates considerable gains for other locals likeNguyen Sy Doan and Vu Thi Lan, who pocket 130 million VND and 100 million VNDeach year.
Tran Ngoc Dinh, Chairman of the Quang Tien ward People’s Committee, said thatconsumers do not have to worry about food safety and hygiene as Sam Son fishsauce is produced in the traditional way which has a history of hundreds ofyears and free of chemicals and additives.
The ward now has 15 fish sauce making households and they are earning around100- 150 million VND in revenue each year, he said, adding that the ward willrecommend competent authorities to develop brand for local fish sauce whilesigning contracts with businesses to ensure market for local staple.
Sam Son city is now home to more than 160 fish sauce making establishments, whosell over 4 million litres to the market daily.
According to Vu Dinh Chinh, deputy head of the city’s economic bureau, the municipalPeople’s Committee is carrying a project to manage and branch out a collectivebrand for Sam Son fish sauce, a move that helps locals popularise, improvequality as well as competitive edge of their products, and raise publicawareness of food safety and hygiene.
The project has brought about practical results, particularly creating jobs andincreasing income for fish sauce producers.
In the coming time, the city will continue its survey and evaluation, and setup intellectual property rights for the Sam Son collective fish sauce brand.Besides, due attention will be paid to brand management, origin tracingprocess, and packaging.
The city authorities have directed competent agencies to enhance food safetyinspection at fish sauce production establishments, he added.-VNA
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