HCM City (VNA) - Dried-fish processing villages in the Cuu Long(Mekong) Delta are busy making fried fish to meet demand for theupcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday which falls on February 16 thisyear.  

Nguyen Van Chan, whose family has made dried fish for 20 years in Ca Mau province’sPhu Tan district, said the production is now at its peak.

“My family has produced double what we made last year for the same period,” hesaid.

His family sells dried fish for 50,000 – 100,000 VND (2.2 – 4.4 USD) a kilodepending on fish species and size.

“Thanks to this traditional occupation, many families in the village have astable and good income,” he said.

Dried fish processing establishments in the village each are supplying anaverage of 2-3 tonnes of dried fish to the market a day.

Cai Doi Vam dried fish village, one of the largest of its kind in Ca Mau province,produces various kinds of dried fish, including dried anchovy, driedlizardfish, dried silver croaker and dried creamfish.

Dried creamfish is considered a specialty of Cai Doi Vam town. The town’s driedcreamfish was granted a collective brand by the National Office of IntellectualProperty last year.

The periods before and after Tet are also the main season for catchingcreamfish.

The town has more than 100 companies and households that produce and sell driedcreamfish.    

According to Tran Huu Nghi, Deputy Chairman of the Cai Doi Vam Town FarmersAssociation, the village is famous for its dried fish, especially driedcreamfish, which are sold to HCM City and nearby provinces.

In Dong Thap province’s Tam Nong district, 15 dried fish processingestablishments in Phu Tho commune each have produced about 250 kg of driedsnakehead fish and snakeskin gourami, up two times against the same period lastyear.

Dried fish processing establishments in Phu Tho commune have from 10 to 15labourers.

Ho Thi Kim Hang, owner of the Kim Hang fried snakehead fish establishment in PhuTho, said the stages of making dried fish include cleaning, removing bones,marination and drying.

Marination is an important stage that creates the special flavour of driedfish, she said.

The price of dried snakehead fish is about 120,000 – 150,000 VND (5.2 – 6.6 USD)a kilo and is expected to rise near Tet, according to local driedfish producers.

In Can Tho city’s Binh Thuy district, the fried fish processing village alongNational Highway No. 91B began increasing production three months before Tet.

Tran Kim Le, a dried fish seller on National Highway No. 91B, said a few yearsago there were only a few households in the village making dried fish.

The number has increased to more than 50 households.

Le sells an average of 100 kilo of dried snakehead fish and 40 kilo ofsnakeskin gourami a week. About four kilos of fresh snakehead fish are neededto make one kilo of dried snakehead fish, she said.

Dried fish processing villages in the delta also produce salty or less saltydried fish as well as various fried fish products.-VNA