Entrepreneurial processing in Vietnam’s Cà Mau province is helping farmers capture greater value from a local aquaculture product. Nguyen Thi Lan Huong, director of Huong Bao Chau Co. Ltd, has developed a dried green prawn product that transforms a perishable harvest into a premium, longer‑lasting specialty.
Dried green prawn raises value for farmers
Green prawns, raised alongside rice on extensive farms in U Minh commune, are prized for their clean, flavourful meat. Historically the prawns were sold live at harvest, leaving producers exposed to price swings and the logistics of rapid sale. During peak harvests, farmers often had to accept low prices to move product quickly.
Ms Huong started experimenting with drying methods to solve that problem. She initially processed small batches from her own ponds to refine recipes and procedures. Once she achieved consistent quality, she invested in machinery, a processing facility and began purchasing prawns from local households.
The production process demands careful selection and handling. Prawns are chosen for size and roe content, briefly boiled to just the right degree, then dried under controlled temperature and time to retain natural sweetness and a firm texture. On average five kilograms of fresh prawns yield about one kilogram of dried product.
Retail feedback has been encouraging. Early online sales received positive reviews and the dried green prawn now sells for between VND 1,000,000 and VND 1,300,000 per kilogram depending on size. The facility processes tonnes of prawns each month and scales up ahead of Tet to meet holiday demand.
The shift from fresh to dried product extends shelf life and broadens market access, including urban consumers and gift markets during festivals. It also stabilises prices for farmers by creating an additional, higher‑margin channel for sales and lowering dependence on traders who often dictate prices at harvest.
Beyond price benefits, the model generates local employment and strengthens the local processing sector. By buying from multiple households, the facility supports incomes across the commune and helps smooth demand through harvest seasons. Local farmers, such as Doan Tan Loi who farms more than one hectare, say processing gives them an alternative to selling at low prices during glut periods.
Nguyen Tu Phuong, chairman of the U Minh Farmers’ Association, welcomed the initiative and urged wider adoption. He said deep processing is a necessary pathway to resolve the problem of “good harvest, poor prices” while improving returns per hectare.
Cà Mau province hosts roughly 30,000 hectares of green prawn culture, producing tens of thousands of tonnes annually. The emergence of dried green prawn products points to new possibilities for adding value to regional specialties and for developing sustainable income streams for aquaculture households.
Industry observers note that promoting value‑added processing, supporting quality control and improving market linkages could help scale such models. For now, the dried green prawn stands as a tangible example of how targeted innovation in processing can turn a local commodity into a higher‑value, marketable product that benefits producers and consumers alike.
Key Takeaways:
- Small-scale processors in Cà Mau turn fresh green prawn into a high-value dried product, stabilising incomes for local farmers.
- The dried green prawn commands prices of VND 1–1.3 million/kg, improving returns compared with volatile fresh markets.
- Processing increases shelf life and creates local jobs, reducing farmers’ dependence on traders.
- Scaling the model could add value across Cà Mau’s 30,000ha of green prawn farming and diversify regional specialties.
