Increase income during Tet from special products

Exploiting the potential strengths and available resources in the locality, every year, when the Lunar New Year comes, many ethnic minorities in the mountainous region of Quang Tri are busy preparing typical products to serve the market. To create trust for customers, they put their heart into choosing and creating quality products, beautiful designs with a rich variety. Through Tet products, ethnic minorities not only increase their family income but also create jobs for many workers, contributing to preserving and promoting the good traditional values ​​of their people, promoting local tourism development.

Ms. Hoa My prepares local specialties to serve customers during the Lunar New Year 2025 - Photo: NVCC

In the days leading up to Lunar New Year, Ms. Ho Thi Hoa My, a Pa Ko ethnic in Krong Klang town, is busy processing products that are considered “exclusive” in Dakrong district. These are products such as beef, buffalo meat, smoked pork, chili salt, fish sauce, rice wine, charcoal sticky rice wine, leaf-fermented wine... with very unique and delicious flavors that diners will find hard to forget when enjoying.

“To ensure the quantity of products for Tet, I have had to prepare the ingredients for the past month, and hire additional workers from ethnic minority women in town to help with the product processing. After the processing, I personally prepare each dish to follow the recipe and suit my taste.

I carefully selected the product packaging, bottles, and labels with the hope that the product would not only be delicious but also aesthetically pleasing. When customers buy it for themselves or as a Tet gift for relatives and friends, they will feel more sympathetic when looking at the product, seeing the dedication of the person who created it," Ms. Hoa My shared.

In addition to the above products, Ms. Hoa My also selects quality products purchased from people in remote communes in the district to serve the Tet market such as rice, sticky rice, vegetables, fruits, fresh fish, wild honey, local chicken... Besides selling products at the store in Krong Klang town, during Tet, Ms. Hoa My also participates in a booth at the Border Market in Lao Bao; increases online sales through Facebook, Zalo, Tiktok, and YouTube.

The finished dried bamboo shoots retain their beautiful yellow color from the Ba Tang Clean Agricultural Products Cooperative - Photo: NVCC

Starting a business faced many difficulties and hardships, but she always tried to overcome them to become a bridge to bring the typical products of her hometown to a wider market. In particular, she contributed to helping people have outlets for some crops and livestock. During the Lunar New Year, she created jobs for 3-5 ethnic minority women with an average income of 150-200 thousand VND/person/day.

Bamboo shoots are one of the typical products used to prepare many delicious dishes during the Lunar New Year. Taking advantage of the mountainous region with abundant natural bamboo shoots, members of the Ba Tang Clean Agricultural Products Cooperative Group (THT) in Huong Hoa district have focused on harvesting a large amount of bamboo shoots, banana seeds, male papaya flowers, bitter melon, and wild tea for preliminary processing, drying, and preservation to serve the upcoming Tet market.

Previously, the family economy of the members of the cooperative mainly depended on slash-and-burn farming, due to backward production methods, life was very difficult. With the sponsorship of Plan International Vietnam, in July 2023, the cooperative was established, consisting of 16 members who are Van Kieu women in the commune.

Ms. Ho Thi Linh, a member of the Ba Tang Clean Agricultural Products Cooperative, shared: “Our task is to collect natural products such as bamboo shoots, wild bananas, and herbal leaves to process and put into the agricultural product drying system using solar energy.

Taking advantage of our spare time after farming, we go into the forest to collect agricultural products to increase our income.

Participating in this model, on average, half a day, we earn from 150,000 to 200,000 VND/person. During the Lunar New Year, we spend more time harvesting and processing agricultural products, so our income is almost double. Orders for dried agricultural products are placed a month before Tet, most of which are dried bamboo shoots, so we are very busy."

Ms. Hai Au's fermented sticky rice wine products are displayed at the booth of Bao An Khoi Trading and Service Company Limited at the Quang Tri Province Cinema and Cultural Center - Photo: KS

Thanks to drying in a closed cage, with stable temperature, the cooperative's products are very beautiful, especially for bamboo shoots, which are processed according to the correct process from the time of harvesting so the bamboo shoots do not get discolored, do not leak sap, and are delicious and yellow after drying. The products ensure food safety and are carefully packaged.

The cooperative's output products are actively promoted on social networks by Mr. Nguyen Huu Khoa, Deputy Director of the Plan Project in Ba Tang Commune, so that all products are sold out. Mr. Khoa said: "Through the cooperative, Van Kieu women have a significant additional income from taking advantage of their time working in the garden to buy books for their children, buy food, and buy jam, candy, and watermelon seeds for Tet. The market for the products is mainly in Quang Tri and neighboring provinces such as Hue and Quang Binh. This year, orders for dried agricultural products at THT are higher than last year, but members always encourage each other to ensure both quantity and quality to maintain their reputation with customers."

Like Ms. Hoa My, Co-operative of Ba Tang Clean Agricultural Products, in the last months of 2024, Ms. Ko Kan Hai Au, a Pa Ko ethnic in Block 3B, Khe Sanh town, Huong Hoa district, prepared a large amount of purple sticky rice and white sticky rice to make wine from wild yeast leaves.

Thanks to her own secret, her products are delicious, affirming their reputation and quality in the market. Her products are quality tested by authorities, have barcodes, and ensure food safety and hygiene, so they are favored by the market.

“The wine is made from wild yeast, naturally fermented, so it has a unique flavor and guaranteed quality. Therefore, I want to contribute with the local people to provide customers during Tet with a typical drink of the Van Kieu and Pa Ko people. The amount of wine produced for Tet by my family is higher than other months of the year, about more than 1,000 liters of wine of all kinds, after deducting costs, the profit is about 20 million VND”.

Members of the Ba Tang Clean Agricultural Products Cooperative process fresh bamboo shoots to prepare them for the drying system - Photo: THT

In addition to the typical agricultural products mentioned above, the Van Kieu and Pa Ko people in mountainous districts also prepare a variety of products to serve the Tet market such as brooms, brocade, and items made of rattan and bamboo such as a dien, a du...

According to producers of typical products in ethnic minority areas, besides the advantages, they also face some difficulties in production and business such as: Lack of capital to invest in modern equipment and machinery; labels and packaging are mainly self-taught and designed, not in accordance with regulations...

Therefore, to improve the quality, increase the quantity of products, and meet the increasing demand of the market, they hope that the authorities and functional sectors will pay attention to supporting households and production facilities of ethnic minorities in designing stamps, labels, and product packaging. Open training courses to help ethnic minority women learn more about using technology to meet market demand. Promote, connect, and expand the market for product consumption.

Ko Kan Suong

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/tang-thu-nhap-trong-dip-tet-tu-san-pham-dac-trung-191343.htm