With the concern of what to do to increase the economic value of the hometown nem tree in the market, Ms. Pham Thi Thuy Hang, President of the Women's Union of Hai Duong commune, Hai Lang district, and her colleagues built and implemented the idea: Deep processing of Hai Duong OCOP nem products using the freeze-drying method. This is a very practical and highly feasible idea and was awarded the Third Prize at the "Innovative Startup" contest in Quang Tri province in 2023.
Ms. Pham Thi Thuy Hang (left) received the Third Prize in the "Innovative Startup" contest in Quang Tri province in 2023 with the idea of Deep processing of Hai Duong OCOP throwing products using the freeze-drying method - Photo: D.V
Ms. Hang is also a member of the Thuan Viet Throwing Cooperative in Hai Duong Commune. Graduated from university with a degree in biotechnology engineering, for many years Ms. Hang has been thinking of ways to increase the value of throwing trees in her hometown Hai Duong commune.
Nem tree is a traditional crop of local people and is also the main source of income for them. The whole Hai Duong commune currently has an area of 62 hectares of nem, mainly in sandy areas. With the advantage of a large sandy area with high humidity, in recent years, people in Hai Duong commune have cultivated and produced from small to concentrated scale and built the Hai Duong nem brand, contributing to increasing the value of the local spice tree.
This main crop is also gradually competing with similar products on the market in terms of both quantity and quality. According to Ms. Hang, in reality, when Hai Duong nem is brought to the market, it is easy to confuse the color and size with nem from other production areas such as Vinh Linh, Gio Linh (Quang Tri); Dien Loc (Thua Thien Hue)... Only the characteristic spicy taste of nem from Hai Duong sand region is relatively different from other production areas.
“This is what motivated me to research and work with the Thuan Viet Nem Cooperative to maintain, expand and develop the 3-star OCOP nem product in the direction of safe production and deep processing to continue expanding the consumption market in the Central region, reaching the markets of the Northern and Southern provinces. From research and testing, it has been shown that processing nem leaves and nem roots into dried nem using 2 methods (fried in oil or freeze-dried) both give a delicious taste, which is highly appreciated by members of the cooperative as well as other testers,” said Ms. Hang.
According to Ms. Hang, the market trend of more and more regions using galangal as a spice instead of onions is an advantage for developing deeply processed galangal products. And although nature has favored large areas of sandy land for galangal production, the prolonged hot weather makes it difficult to preserve galangal to ensure quality.
In order to reduce product loss and damage, the Thuan Viet Throwing Cooperative has used the method of packaging raw throw products with mesh bags and vacuum bags before bringing them to market. However, to ensure that the products can be sold all year round, it is necessary to consider the deep processing of leaf throw products and root throw products into dried throw products (prepackaged spices).
“Accordingly, we have researched the method of chopping, freeze-drying the leaves and roots of the plant and vacuum-packing them in 300 grams to 1 kilogram weight to make them easily accessible to consumers. This not only helps reduce the time spent on preparing the leaves and roots before cooking, but also helps the product reach a wider and more widespread market,” said Ms. Hang.
On the other hand, processing the leaves and roots of the plant into dried plants will prolong the storage time, make it easier to package and transport, increase market access, and increase the selling price of the product, thereby increasing income for plant growers.
Currently, the two product lines of fresh leaf and root worm have a brand (Hai Duong worm) and are trusted and chosen by many consumers. As for the two products of leaf and root worm processed by cold-drying method, Thuan Viet worm Cooperative is promoting packaging and label design to complete the product. Initially, the worm products processed by cold-drying method of the cooperative are attracting the attention of many consumers.
Through the commercial production and consumption of the cooperative's products, it is shown that the supply has not met the demand, and the market potential is still quite large. It is known that in recent times, the products of fresh leaf and root throwing and products processed from the throwing tree of Hai Duong commune have been consumed not only in the province but also displayed, introduced, promoted, and consumed quite a lot in Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Da Nang... and on social networking sites.
“We are currently completing the necessary procedures to convert the Thuan Viet Throwing Cooperative into the Thuan Viet Throwing Cooperative to expand production and business, which is expected to be completed next April. After establishing the cooperative, we will call for investment and purchase machinery such as: machines to chop the leaves and tubers of the throw, freeze dryers, and packaging machines to complete the products.
With careful research and calculation of customer needs and market trends, we believe that deeply processed products will be successful, contributing to increasing the value and income of sand trees in Hai Duong commune in particular and Hai Lang district in general," Ms. Hang shared.
Hieu Giang
Source
Comment (0)