MEKONG DELTA — Craft villages in the Mekong Delta are increasing their production of foodstuff to ensure sufficient supply for Tết, which falls in mid-February 2021.
Tô Ngọc Hoàng, owner of a pork sausage making facility in Đồng Tháp Province, said he is preparing for the festival, and prices of inputs have more than doubled since last year.
Since demand for pork sausages rises by up to five times around Tết, he said he needs to hire more workers and invest in more machinery.
Tân Phú Đông rice flour village in the same province is also becoming busier, with rice noodles and phở making businesses scrambling to prepare for the festival.
Nguyễn Viết Em said his family always makes rice noodles for Tết, but this year his family and others could produce less than last year due to COVID-19. He plans to produce one ton every day.
Meanwhile, in a craft village for dried goods and fish sauce in Hồng Ngự City’s An Lạc Ward in the same province, fishes are being dried along the side of roads, while many workers are busy.
Trần Văn Á, owner of a business that makes dried snakehead murrel, said that his business would produce some 20 per cent less than last year due to the pandemic, and increase prices of dried products due to higher raw material prices.
In Cà Mau Province’s Cái Đôi Vàm Town, where many people make a living with processing seafood, they are currently making dried fish, with some businesses starting work early each morning.
Tô Trường Sơn, chairman of the town People’s Committee, said there are around 40 households making dried fish, and local authorities are working to ensure they are adhering to food safety standards through inspections and propaganda. — VNS
