A customer buys banh chung at a fair in HCM City. (Photo: nld.com.vn)HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Organic banh chung (square glutinous rice cake)sold in Ho Chi Minh City for the first time for Tet (Lunar New Year) has become verypopular.
Tran Minh Hung, marketing director of Vinamit Joint Stock Company, said thecake was made by a group of young engineers at his company in Binh Duong.
"The cakes are made from organic sticky rice grown on a farm in Dak Nong andgreen beans and organic pork from Binh Duong. All the materials haveinternational organic certificates.”
The company is selling the product at just 100,000 VND (4.34 USD), quite cheapcompared to market prices.
On the morning of February 5, within just one hour, 50 banh chung were sold.
“We bring to the market a limited amount of banh chung this Tet and will onlysell until February 9 to test the market. If demand is good, we will increasethe output next year.”
Organic food distribution chain Organica is selling for the first time banhchung made from ingredients such as nep cai hoa vang (a unique variety ofsticky rice mainly grown in the north), green beans and organic pork.
A company spokesperson said due to the limited availability of organic porkonly a few hundred banh chung could be sold, and most of them have been bookedby customers already.
A few remaining cakes to be made later would be frozen and vacuumed for sellingto retail customers, she said.
The Organicfood system has also introduced banh chung with ingredients likeorganic Australian beef or organic salmon at respectively 220,000 VND and 250,000VND, while a traditional one costs 210,000 VND.
Many large businesses in the city have also bolstered production of banh chung andbanh tet (cylindrical glutinous rice cake).
Saigon Food Joint Stock Company has launched various kinds of banh chung withfillings like green beans and pork, pork and salted eggs, roasted chicken andgreen beans, and shiitake mushrooms and lotus seeds.
Nguyen Thi Thu Trinh, the company’s deputy general director, said the cakes aremade based on traditional recipes, and wrapped in multi-layer packaging beforecooking.
They do not contain preservatives and are vacuum sealed, and so can be storedfor three months at normal temperature, she said.
"Last year the company had to reject some last-minute orders because wecould not make it. This year from December onwards we sent out quotes and receivedorders. This year we mainly made cakes based on customers’ orders and do notsell at retail stores or supermarkets.”
Tran Thanh Toan, owner of Tran Gia, which makes banh chung in the southernprovince of Dong Nai, said the COVID-19 pandemic has affected demand.
But thanks to signing contracts with supermarkets and stores since six monthsago, he does not worry about selling his products.
"Tran Gia’s total output of banh chung for this Tet is 17 -18 percenthigher than last year,” he said.
But exports have significantly fallen due to difficulties in transporting goodsbetween countries, he added./.
VNA
