Introducing cassava into cuisine to 'export' it internationally.

From a humble agricultural product, thanks to persistent innovation and the application of science and technology in processing, the value of Vietnamese cassava has been increased.

Currently, Tay Ninh province has over 4,524 hectares planted with cassava varieties resistant to cassava mosaic disease. Photo: Tran Phi.

Cassava, a humble agricultural product often used to combat hunger in the past, is now a key national crop , serving as a raw material in the culinary, processing, biofuel, and animal feed industries. It ranks third in export sales after rice and coffee. Currently, Vietnam is the world's second-largest exporter of cassava, after Thailand.

One of the successful startups that leveraged cassava to increase product value is Tan Nhien Co., Ltd. (Hoa Thanh town, Tay Ninh province). After nearly 10 years of research and development, and numerous setbacks, Tan Nhien has now launched several lines of rice paper products made from cassava flour. Among them, the most notable is the ultra-thin cassava rice paper that doesn't need soaking before eating, which has been ordered by many domestic distributors.

Tan Nhien Co., Ltd. has exported its ultra-thin cassava-based rice paper to many countries. Photo: Tran Quynh.

From its early days, the General Director of Tan Nhien Co., Ltd., Mr. Dang Khanh Duy, set the goal of producing clean, safe food according to international standards to serve domestic consumers. Therefore, the company invested in a factory with 5 production lines that meet ISO 22000 standards and are continuously being upgraded to meet FSSC 22000 standards. It applies the most optimal, closed-loop, modern technological processes, without food additives, to create high-quality, consistent products that are "clean from thought to product".

This has led many international customers to contact Tan Nhien Co., Ltd. to order rice paper. Since 2020, the company's ultra-thin rice paper has been available in many markets such as China, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and will soon receive orders from the United States.

Most recently, the company has been granted protection certificates in Japan, opening up further opportunities for growth in this demanding market.

Mr. Dang Duy Khanh stated that, in order to achieve sustainable development and reach the Netzero target by 2050 as committed by the Government, the company has been transforming itself, continuing to create new value-added products from cassava leaves to tubers, creating jobs for local workers, and contributing to the consumption of cassava in the province.

Cassava cakes with meat filling will be frozen before export. Photo: Nguyen Thuy.

Also starting his business with cassava, Mai Tuan Anh, CEO of Cusami Kitchen, said that with the desire to introduce cassava-based cuisine from his hometown of Cu Chi (Ho Chi Minh City) to people across the country and international friends, he has researched and created delicious, convenient, and healthy dishes, especially for people with obesity, diabetes, and metabolic disorders, such as cassava cakes with meat filling, cassava steamed rice cakes, frozen cassava pizza, etc.

“Vietnamese people living abroad really enjoy traditional cakes, but we need to ensure they meet the standards to be able to export them. Therefore, we are perfecting our frozen cassava cake with meat filling and will soon be able to export it to the US market,” Mr. Tuan Anh said, adding that the goal is to export to more demanding markets. Therefore, to be more proactive in sourcing raw materials, Cusami Kitchen will build a cassava farm that meets USDA organic standards and develop more cassava-based products so that Vietnamese people around the world can enjoy dishes made from Vietnamese agricultural products.

On April 17, 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development issued a decision approving the Project "Sustainable Development of the Cassava Industry until 2030, with a Vision to 2050". The target for 2030 is to achieve an export value of cassava and cassava products of US$1.8 - 2 billion. The vision for 2050 is to achieve an export value of approximately US$2.3 - 2.5 billion.

Source: https://nongsanviet.nongnghiep.vn/dua-cu-khoai-mi-vao-am-thuc-de-xuat-ngoai-d394765.html