With only about two months left until the Lunar New Year 2025, many businesses and facilities producing Da Nang specialties are busy preparing raw materials and human resources, connecting with agents, and expanding consumption markets as entering the most important production season of the year.

Many OCOP products of Da Nang are on sale to serve the shopping needs at the end of the year and the upcoming Tet holiday. IN PHOTO: People and tourists buying Da Nang specialties at the Han Market. Photo: MAI LY

Preparing raw materials, increasing production capacity

At observed at the Ba Lieu Me 'banh kho me' (dried sesame seed cakes) production facility located at 200/1 Ong Ich Duong Street in Cam Le District, dozens of workers are seen kneading dough, baking, packaging, and classifying cakes.

Mr. Huynh Duc Khien, the owner of the facility, said that sesame and popped crackers are the best-sellers when Tet comes. His facility is hiring more seasonal workers to prepare for Tet production activities.

“Around the beginning of the 12^th lunar month, the facility will send Tet goods to agents and stores, so it is expected to produce about 300,000 - 500,000 packages of cakes for the upcoming Tet holiday, an increase of about 30% compared to the same period last year and doubling normal days" he informed.

Currently, sesame and popped crackers are on sale at VND40,000 - VND70,000, depending on the type of cake and volume. However, the prices of some input materials have increased compared to the same period last year. For example, first-grade sesame is now priced at VND100,000 per kilo, a rise of VND 25,000 against previous months.

"Recently, the prices of some input materials have increased, whilst labour and transportation costs have tended to go up, forcing us to adjust the selling prices of products in the coming time. It is expected that the price of each product can be adjusted up VND5,000. The production facility will re-make the price list and send it to agents and stores” Mr. Khien shared.

At this time, the Tuy Loan 'banh trang' (rice paper) craft village is starting to become more bustling as the facilities prepare products to serve the Tet market.

Mr. Doan Thanh Binh, the owner of a Tuy Loan rice paper making facility in Tuy Loan Dong 2 Village, Hoa Phong Commune, Hoa Vang District, said that his facility is receiving orders for Tet, mainly rice paper, grilled rice paper, dipped rice paper, bacon, pork soaked in fish sauce, pickled onions, etc. These are traditional products with strong consumption during Tet, so the number of orders increases sharply during this season.

In addition to supplying products to the domestic market, Mr. Binh's facility also works with a number of partners to export goods to foreign countries, so the amount of goods during Tet is expected to increase 10 times compared to normal days.

During the traditional Tet holiday, fish sauce is also a product with high consumption.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Can, the owner of Di Can anchovy fish sauce production facility in Nam Duong Ward, Hai Chau District, said that the anchovy fish sauce for Tet has been salted since the third lunar month to reach maturity, now it only needs to be filtered and bottled.

Currently, the raw materials to produce some types of fish sauce are more expensive than before, the prices of packaging and packaging tape have also increased slightly. However, the facility still tries to keep the prices stable.

Having been in the fish sauce business for 51 years, Mrs. Can’s establishment offers more than 10 types of fish sauce such as anchovy fish sauce, fermented fish sauce, shrimp paste, mackerel fish sauce, and others.

According to Mrs. Can, in recent years, the prices of fish sauce have not increased, anchovy fish sauce type 1 costs VND100,000/liter, and anchovy fish sauce type 2 VND70,000/liter. Mrs. Can has four fish sauce stalls in the Han Market, all run by her children. The quantity of goods is guaranteed to supply provinces, cities and partners exporting to foreign countries during Tet.

A 'banh kho me' (dried sesame seed cakes) production facility busying producing products for Tet. Photo: MAI LY

Diversified OCOP products

The year-end market for OCOP products also becomes more vibrant. Production facilities and cooperatives begin to receive orders and increase promotion of OCOP products to find markets. Some OCOP-certified ‘cha bo’ (beef paste) production facilities such as Thao Sinh (Hoa Khe Ward, Thanh Khe District), and Hung Hong (Hai Chau 1 Ward, Hai Chau District) are surveying the market to produce reasonable quantities.

According to Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thuy Hong, the owner of Hung Hong ‘cha bo’ (beef paste) facility, ‘cha bo’ (beef paste) and 'cha heo' (pork paste) can be frozen for 2 months, whilst ‘nem chua’ (fermented pork) and ‘tre’ (a kind of fermented pork) cannot be preserved for long, so the facility does not make ready-made products.

Usually, close to Tet, familiar customers will report the quantity, the facility will produce according to orders and only make a moderate amount of products to sell to retail customers.

The facility's ‘cha bo’ is one of the 3-star OCOP products of Hai Chau District, so it is chosen by many people during Tet. Ba Lieu Me's sesame crackers also meet the 4-star OCOP standard. The product is available on the shelves of many specialty stores in Da Nang and is exported to many provinces and cities.

OCOP products are currently being improved in terms of packaging and canning to meet the needs of customers.

Ms. Ho Thi Thuy Tram, the owner of Min Kai fresh sausage production facility located in Hai Chau 1 Ward, Hai Chau District, said that her facility produces all year round but only in the beginning of the 12^th lunar month does she ramp up production to serve the Tet holiday.

Each day, her facility produces 100kg of sausage, because of its large capacity, the quantity of goods is always guaranteed. In the days leading up to Tet, the facility will work continuously and recruit more workers. The expected output for this year's Tet season is about 1,200-1,500kg, an increase of 50% compared to normal days.

Min Kai fresh sausage products have achieved the 4-star OCOP certification, so they are trusted by many customers. Many units and companies order sausages from the facility to give year-end gifts to employees, so during Tet, the amount of goods sold is greater and faster than usual.

Reporting by MAI LY - Translating by M.DUNG