NGHE AN – From catching eels to selling, people in Phan Thanh, Yen Thanh district switched to purchasing and processing products from eels, earning a monthly income of more than 50 million VND/household.
Phan Thanh is a small village located in the low-lying area at the end of Long Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, with nearly 200 households. In the 1990s, in addition to farming, people also went fishing and fishing to catch eels in fields and ponds in the area to use as food or sell for extra income.
Many people from being trappers have become traders, going around the villages to collect farmed and wild eels to import to restaurants and eateries. Some smart families borrow money to open eel processing facilities and then deliver them to partners to get higher prices. For more than 20 years, Phan Thanh has become a famous eel processing village in Yen Thanh district as well as Nghe An.
The facility of Mr. Nguyen Minh Thao, 31 years old, at the beginning of Phan Thanh village, is more than 50 m2 wide, containing many refrigerators, large specialized aluminum pots and a number of machines for packaging. Every day, Mr. Thao buys 300-500 kg of live eels at a price of 130,000-150,000 VND/kg, then hires 12-15 people to work 8 hours, paying 170,000-350,000 VND to prepare the eels, marinate them, package them, and deliver them. pandemic…
Eel is prepared into two types, fillet (fresh eel) and porridge soup (boiled eel). With filleting, the eel’s head and tail are removed. The worker uses a wooden table 50 cm long and 10 cm wide. At the top, he nails the eel into the nail vertically. The left hand holds the tail, and the right hand uses a sharp knife to cut from head to bottom to remove bones and intestines. Waste products are used as animal feed. One day’s work, on average, each person can make 60-70 kg.
People in Phan Thanh village, Long Thanh commune prepare eels. Video: Duc Hung
Eel fillets are mainly prepared as rolls, grilled, stir-fried with lemongrass and chili, braised with bananas and beans, cooked in pickles… Among the dishes, eel meat rolls are the most elaborate. The chef will mince lean pork and mix well with spices to roll with eel strips, tie tightly with green onions, arrange 18-20 pieces in a foam tray and place in the freezer for 2-3 hours. Customers buy it and cook it for 20-30 minutes.
Eel porridge soup serves porridge and soup shops in the area. This is a specialty of Nghe An, often eaten with wet cakes and bread. Imported eels must be fresh, remove the head and tail and then shock with salt, fresh turmeric or pure turmeric powder so that the meat does not crack and has a beautiful yellow color. Next, the worker will put the eel in a specialized pot and boil it for about 5-7 minutes.
The owner of the facility places dozens of kilograms of boiled eels on an aluminum table 2 meters wide and 4 meters long. Dozens of workers sit in 2-3 rows for preliminary processing, and after completing this batch, they continue to make another batch. At this stage, removing bones and intestines does not require using a knife. The technician wears gloves and takes a plastic tube 4 cm long, 2 cm in diameter, with a pointed tip shaped like an arrow and attached to the thumb of the dominant hand. The sharp part of the plastic tube will be inserted into the eel’s head, then slowly slitted until the end of the tail to separate the internal organs.
“This process requires carefulness. If you cut too much, the eel’s body will be torn and will not meet the partner’s standards. One kilogram of boiled eel, when the internal organs are removed, only has 7 ounces of meat,” said Ms. Nguyen Thi Thao, 37 years old. , said Phan Thanh village resident. Ms. Thao has been involved in eel processing for more than ten years. In addition to farming, this job gives her an additional income of 4-6 million VND a month.
In Phan Thanh village, there are currently more than 50 families engaged in processing and selling eel products. In addition, there are more than 100 households raising mud-free eels, catching and purchasing live eels to import to factories and partners inside and outside the commune. The finished product is placed in the freezer for storage. Marinated eel sells for 250,000 VND/kg, rolled eel meat in a pack of 18 balls is 110,000 VND, 200 gram bag of dried eel is 230,000 VND…
Mr. Nguyen Minh Thao added that in addition to selling to restaurants and eateries in Nghe An, products from Phan Thanh village are also consumed in Hanoi, Ha Long, Thanh Hoa, Da Nang, Binh Duong, and Ho Chi Minh City. . Eels also follow customers to some countries such as Germany, England, Korea… On average, each month, Mr. Thao’s facility domestically consumes 6-7 tons of preprocessed eels, shipping about 5 quintals abroad. .
According to Mr. Thao, the biggest wish of craft villagers is to export eel products through official channels. Currently, the facilities in Phan Thanh mainly come from rural areas. The manual processing process and machinery have not been invested much to meet standards in production and packaging for export abroad. “In the near future, we hope to receive support from the government in completing documents, procedures and creating conditions for renting more premises to overcome this problem,” Mr. Thao said.
Mr. Nguyen Van De, Chairman of Long Thanh commune, said that from a seasonal job during leisure time, eel processing has now become the main occupation, helping 500-600 people in the area have a stable income. With more than 50 families opening preliminary processing workshops in Phan Thanh craft village, on average a day they sell 3-5 quintals of finished eels, earning a monthly profit of 50-60 million VND/household after deducting labor and raw material costs. supplies.
Thanks to accumulating money from eel trading as well as income from carpentry and handicrafts, Phan Thanh people have built spacious houses, bought expensive appliances, and many households can even buy cars to get around. According to Mr. De, the government will continue to strengthen scientific and technical training, encourage people to focus on selling on e-commerce platforms, and build more mechanisms and policies so that Phan Thanh eels can be sold soon. internationally through official channels.
($1=24,000 VND)
Photo,Video: Internet (Vinlove.net)