Selling eel eggs earns hundreds of millions each year

Mr. Nguyen Van Quang, 60 years old, residing in Phu Dien hamlet, Song Phu commune, Tam Binh district, Vinh Long province - has been awarded the title of Good Farmer and Businessman of Vinh Long province for many years. Mr. Quang said the reason for "sticking" to the mud-free eel farming profession: "Previously, I specialized in raising all kinds of fish fry. In 2014, with the suggestion and help of 2,000 eel fry from the Vinh Long Provincial Agricultural Extension Center, I switched to the mud-free eel farming model and always achieved high results."

Mr. Nguyen Van Quang next to a tank of eel breeders.

Initially, Mr. Quang built 4 eel breeding tanks, each with an area of ​​20 square meters. Inside the tank, he lined it with plastic sheets and planted grass and vegetables around it to create shade for the mother eels. He regularly changed the water source inside to ensure hygiene. Wastewater from the eel tanks was led down to the fish tanks, which did not create a foul smell and provided excess food for the fish.

Regarding eel food, in addition to industrial food, Mr. Quang also mixes golden apple snails and fish scraps for eels to eat to help them gain weight quickly and have a delicious taste. After 6 months of raising, the eels weigh an average of about 100 grams and begin to lay eggs.

From 2014 to now, Mr. Quang has been selling the breeding eels quite stably, from 2,000-2,200 VND/eel. Particularly, the mother eels after laying eggs are sold by him for 180,000-200,000 VND/kg. The time when eels lay a lot is from February to September of the lunar calendar every year.

After the mother eels have finished breeding, Mr. Quang sells the eggs and raises the mother eels for a short time before selling them.

In the past two years, Mr. Nguyen Van Quang has chosen a strange but interesting way of raising eels to sell eggs (instead of selling eel seeds) as before and has achieved positive results. Mr. Quang compared: Selling eel eggs will bring more profit, the turnover of the eel cellar is faster, and the risk is less.

"Currently, with 500 mother eels breeding, each week I harvest about 4,000 eel eggs with a total selling price of 2.5 to 3 million VND depending on the time. On average, each month I make a profit of approximately 10 million VND from selling eel eggs. That's not to mention the fact that after the mother eels give birth, I sell them each month for an additional 5 million VND... I raise them in pairs, and every time I sell one batch of eels, I prepare another batch of eels to put in the tank to continue raising...", Mr. Quang said.

Mr. Quang's family's eel breeding cellar is planted with weeds and wild vegetables to create shade and hiding places for the eels.

The income of old farmer Nguyen Van Quang does not stop at eel but also comes from 10 hectares of rice fields, the model of raising beaded catfish, raising striped snakehead fish...

Currently, Mr. Quang has an area of ​​about 800m2 divided into 2 compartments. In one compartment, he raises beaded catfish, in the other compartment, he is raising 3,000 striped snakehead fish. It is expected that the beaded catfish and striped snakehead fish will be harvested after the 2019 Lunar New Year.

Mr. Quang summarized his experience of getting rich in the countryside very simply: "I don't have much education but I remember what Uncle Ho said, "Nothing is difficult. Only fear is not perseverance...". I "stick" to the fish farming profession, the eel farming profession is also from that saying of Uncle Ho...", Mr. Quang shared.