Old farmer earns billions from raising crispy carp

Mr. Dung next to the carp raft on the Tien River.

Before investing in farmingCrispy CarpMr. Le Van Dung (60 years old, living in Hamlet 3, An Phong Commune, Thanh Binh District, Dong Thap) has been involved in fish farming on the Tien River for decades, such as catfish, red tilapia, and snakehead fish...

In 2011, Mr. Dung was introduced to the model of raising crispy carp on the river by a friend. At that time, few people raised them in the West, while market demand was high, so prices were always high. Seeing that, Mr. Dung decided to import 6,000 fry for testing. “After researching, I realized that crispy carp could be raised in Dong Thap, so I bought fry to raise in rafts. After a while, the results were good, so I expanded the scale,” said Mr. Dung.

Mr. Dung (middle) harvests crispy carp and sells them throughout the provinces and cities of the Mekong Delta and Ho Chi Minh City.

In 2014, the water source in Cai Vung River area (Hong Ngu District, Dong Thap) was no longer suitable, Mr. Dung had to move the carp raft to Tien River, the section flowing through An Phong Commune, Thanh Binh District to raise it until now.

Regarding the journey to bring crispy carp to the market, Mr. Dung said that he used to travel on a motorbike, hanging two baskets of carp on both sides to many restaurants and eateries in Dong Thap and An Giang provinces to introduce the product; even had to beg to give the fish to customers to try. Thanks to his perseverance, combined with the quality of the firm, delicious fish meat, he gradually becamemarketaccepted. After that, many traders came to his fish raft to buy.

Fish are raised for about 10 months to harvest.

According to Mr. Dung, crispy carp is actually a common carp. However, when the fish are raised to the right standard size, reaching a weight of about 1.5 kg/fish, they are switched from industrial feed to broad beans until harvest, to create tough meat. Fish raised for about 10 months can be sold.

“Fava beans are naturally rich in protein, starch and low in fat, which will help the fish meat to be chewy and crispy, making it very delicious. Carp raised on fava beans is clean and ensures food hygiene and safety,” said Mr. Dung.

Before feeding the fish, the broad beans must be soaked for about 24 hours, and large beans must be cut in half. The broad beans must be of guaranteed quality and come from Australia, with a price of about 15,000 VND/kg. When feeding the fish, put them in a bucket and submerge them in water.

Fish are raised and thrive in the natural water environment of the river.

The advantages of crispy carp are that it is easy to raise, has few diseases, grows quickly, and its price is always high, making it in high demand. Currently, Mr. Dung sells about 200 tons to the market each year, with prices ranging from 80,000 - 100,000 VND/kg, earning over 2 billion VND/year. The consumption market is spread throughout the provinces and cities of the Mekong Delta to Ho Chi Minh City and even to the Central region.

Not only enriching himself, Mr. Dung also enthusiastically guides many local farmers and neighboring provinces on techniques and experiences to develop crispy carp farming together. In the near future, he plans to cooperate with otherbusinessbring this fish breed to foreign markets./.