Sugarcane honey village burns fiery day and night
Coming to Lam Thanh village (Kim Tan commune, Thanh Hoa province) in the early days of the twelfth lunar month, the production atmosphere here is extremely bustling. Households making sugarcane honey are rushing, burning fire day and night to supply goods for the Tet market.
Sharing with Lao Dong Newspaper reporters, many honey-making households said that in Thanh Hoa in particular and the central provinces in general, sugarcane honey is considered a favorite dish to enjoy with banh chung and pickled onions during Tet. Therefore, the sugarcane honey making profession has been maintained by the people of Lam Thanh village since ancient times.
Mr. Do Van Duong (48 years old, residing in Lam Thanh village, Kim Tan commune, Thanh Hoa province) said that his family's sugarcane honey making profession has existed for many generations, passed down by his ancestors. Although hard, the income from this profession is quite stable, helping many families have food and savings, especially every Tet holiday when Spring comes.
To produce delicious honey drops, we have to wake up early in the morning to press sugarcane and cook honey. The steps are all very elaborate, just being negligent can damage the honey immediately. In the days leading up to Tet, we have to keep the fire burning day and night to have enough goods to supply to the market," Mr. Duong shared.
According to research, there are currently more than 20 sugarcane salt kilns in Lam Thanh village. In the days leading up to Tet, the kilns operate at full capacity. Many small traders from localities and provinces have come to purchase and transport to promptly supply the Tet market.
The vermicelli village is bustling with machine sounds
Also no less busy is the production atmosphere in Thang Long vermicelli village (Thang Binh commune, Thanh Hoa province). People here are "running" against time to produce products to serve the Lunar New Year.
From early morning to late afternoon, in Dai Ban and Tan Giao villages, kitchen smoke billows, the drying yards are densely packed with thick white vermicelli strips.
Mr. Le Ba Phiet (resident of Tan Giao village, Thang Binh commune) said that his family has 3 people participating in production according to the traditional craft of the locality.
Each year, my family makes about 20 tons of vermicelli, with revenue reaching more than 100 million VND. Especially during the Tet season, the intensity of work increases, producing about 200 kg of vermicelli per day, earning from 400,000 - 500,000 VND/day" - Mr. Phiet said.
According to Mr. Pham Ngoc Tuan - Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Thang Binh commune, the whole commune currently has more than 50 households participating in rice vermicelli production, mainly concentrated in Dai Ban and Tan Giao villages. Each year, households produce more than 800 tons of vermicelli, with a value of about 16 billion VND, on average each household has an income of 8-10 million VND/month.
The rice vermicelli making profession not only brings stable income to households directly involved in production but also creates jobs for hundreds of local workers, especially rural workers during the lean season. In the days leading up to the Lunar New Year, the production atmosphere in the locality is always bustling, and households mobilize maximum manpower to ensure orders to serve Tet" - Mr. Tuan said.
