In April, Viet Nam's cashew exports reached 49,000 tonnes, earning US$290 million. — Photo dangcongsan.vn Enterprises should prioritise investment in developing value-added cashew products to avoid losing its market share instead of only focusing on wholesale, according to experts. Viet Nam's cashew nut is dominant in the EU market, however, it is mainly raw material and there are very few processed products, especially roasted and spiced products according to the taste of EU customers. Meanwhile, products made from cashews, especially spiced cashews, chocolate covered cashews, cashew milk, and cashew yoghurt, are becoming more and more popular for EU consumers because they are healthy alternative foods. “Diversifying cashew products has also pushed the demand for those products up in the EU market. Domestic enterprises need to have market research and investment in the processing stage to maintain their market shares in this market," Vu Anh Son, a representative of the Viet … [Read more...] about Viet Nam should prioritise value added cashew products for EU market
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Artist goes bananas with rustic artworks
Artist Phan Văn Đắc has created over 700 artworks from dried banana barks. Photo suckhoedoisong.vn Dried banana bark might sound useless to many, but by using his creativity and skill, artist Phan Văn Đắc in Quảng Bình Province creates vivid landscapes and soulful portraits. Living in a small alley in coastal Đồng Hới City in the central province, the 80-year-old artist is often seen trimming and glueing rough-dried banana barks together to create pictures with the themes of nature, history or war. Đắc has had a passion for art since a young age. However, he chose to study at the Vinh Technical Workers School with the hope of having a stable job while growing up. In 1965, he enlisted in the army and joined the 599th Division, stationed west of Trường Sơn Mountain Range. Despite years of military service along the mountain range, the young soldier retained a passion for creating art. In the middle of the forest, he found a special material that was … [Read more...] about Artist goes bananas with rustic artworks