Bac Kan Vermicelli
Thanks to the favorable soil conditions and climate in Bac Kan, the cultivation of dong rieng (arrowroot), a key ingredient in vermicelli production, has flourished. This success has been bolstered by the province's prioritized development policies. Consequently, Bac Kan's vermicelli has made a notable impact in both local and European markets.
The pivotal role in introducing and developing arrowroot cultivation and processing in Bac Kan belongs to Nguyen Xuan Cuong, the former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, during his tenure as the Secretary of the Bac Kan Provincial Party Committee. Recognizing the potential of arrowroot in Bac Kan, Nguyen Xuan Cuong directed various levels of government and local authorities to take decisive actions. Since then, Bac Kan province has taken its first steps in cultivating and processing arrowroot vermicelli, aiming to produce sustainable goods.
During the 2015-2020 period, Bac Kan successfully established a stable arrowroot supply zone with the goal of creating a closed value chain leading to the final product - vermicelli.
In Phuc Loc commune, located in Ba Be district, arrowroot plants are predominantly cultivated in five highland villages of Na Ma, Phien Chi, Phja Pha, Coc Muoi, and Coc Dien. This cultivation has emerged as a reliable source of income for the local community. During the 2017-2018 period, when the price of arrowroot starch experienced a substantial rise, numerous households earned incomes ranging from 400 to 500 million dong (17,000 - 21,3000 US dollars) by growing arrowroot plants. This financial success enabled them to acquire land and relocate from the mountainous regions to the central part of the commune.
Nong Van Nhuoc, the Chairman of the People's Committee of Phuc Loc commune, highlights that arrowroot plants have emerged as a significantly more profitable agricultural option compared to traditional crops like rice and maize in recent years. Arrowroot has become a vital agricultural commodity within the commune. As a testament to this, the total area dedicated to arrowroot cultivation in 2022 reached 95.7ha, marking a 30ha increase from the previous year. Presently, there are 39 households actively involved in arrowroot processing within the commune.
Given the land and climatic advantages for arrowroot cultivation, the Provincial People's Committee of Bac Kan province has designated arrowroot plants as a primary crop and arrowroot itself as a key product. Presently, arrowroot tubers are cultivated in 73 communes spread across seven districts, encompassing a total area of 445ha. By 2025, the province aims to establish a consistent arrowroot cultivation area of 800-1,000ha annually, with a production volume target of 59,000 tons.
Bac Kan province has utilized resources from various programs to invest in and support cooperatives and production complexes, targeting a consumption of over 1,000tons of vermicelli, generating hundreds of billions of dong in revenue annually. Alongside this, the province consistently focuses on brand building, improving quality, enhancing packaging, design, and trade promotion to establish Bac Kan's vermicelli as a recognized brand in the market. By 2022, Bac Kan had over 50 vermicelli processing establishments, including some with integrated factory-scale operations.
Through exchanges and collaborations with the Embassy of Vietnam and the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic, Bac Kan province has identified the demand and potential for the European market. The province has chosen the Tai Hoan Cooperative in Con Minh commune, Na Ri district, as its export partner for vermicelli to Europe and has allocated substantial resources to support the cooperative in improving its processing plant. The province has provided financial support of 2 billion dong (83,610 US dollars) for the cooperative to purchase machinery, equipment, and vermicelli drying facilities. The processing capacity of the plant has increased from around 10 tons of vermicelli per year to over 300tons per year.
Nguyen Thi Hoan, director of the Tai Hoan Cooperative, stated that it took the cooperative over three months to pass through stringent quality inspections in order to export arrowroot vermicelli to the European market. By August 2020, the cooperative had exported the first batch of 5.3tons of arrowroot vermicelli to the Czech Republic, with a total order value of nearly 15,000 US dollars.
In May 2021, the cooperative continued to export an additional 10.5tons of arrowroot vermicelli to the Czech Republic, with a total order value of over 29,000 US dollars. In 2022, the Tai Hoan Cooperative exported nearly 10 more tons of arrowroot vermicelli to Europe. The arrowroot vermicelli produced by the Tai Hoan Cooperative is the only product from Bac Kan to receive a five-star national-level OCOP certification. The fact that a cooperative of ethnic minorities in a remote area can bring their product to the demanding European market has created a significant boost for the arrowroot vermicelli cultivation and processing industry in Bac Kan./.
By An Thanh Dat Translated by Hong Hanh