Nam Dan develops fish farming for the third crop season.

(Baonghean) - All 22 communes and towns in Nam Dan district are implementing third-crop fish farming, with Nam Thanh commune consistently maintaining 60 out of 490 hectares for third-crop fish farming annually, ranking among the top in the district.

The third-crop fish farming movement in Nam Dan district is implemented in flooded areas. After harvesting the summer-autumn rice crop but unable to plant a winter crop, farmers build embankments and raise fish. All 22 communes and towns in the district implement this third-crop fish farming. However, in recent years, the area dedicated to third-crop fish farming in Nam Dan has been shrinking due to various reasons. Only a few localities have been able to capitalize on their advantages and proactively manage their annual farming area. Among them, Nam Thanh commune consistently maintains a stable 60/490 hectares of third-crop fish farming annually, ranking among the top in the district.

Households are demarcating areas for fish farming in the third crop season in Nam Thanh.

It has been over two months since the third fish crop was released, and in less than a month, the fish ponds in Nam Thanh will enter the harvest season. Mr. Hoang Van Sinh from Hamlet 2B said: "This year, the season is later than last year, but my family still borrowed 3.2 hectares of low-lying rice paddy land from nearly 50 households in Hamlet 6 and Hamlet 2B to release the third fish crop. Because we raised the fish later, the fingerlings weighed 2-3 taels (approximately 37.75 grams) each, so we could harvest them quickly and shorten the time to be ready for the spring season. The main fish species are still carp, crucian carp, and common carp. This year, although there was a lot of rain, there were no floods, which was favorable for building embankments around the fish ponds. Based on current fish prices, my family can earn nearly 3 million dong after three months of raising the fish."

This year, due to the late harvest of the summer-autumn rice crop, farmers are not enthusiastic about a third fish crop, partly because of fear of heavy rain and risks. According to many fish farmers in Nam Thanh, the prolonged rainy weather, without flooding, and the low levels of plankton (a food source for fish) in the water have resulted in slow fish growth. In addition, the supply of fish fry is also difficult. According to Mr. Sinh from Hamlet 2B, this year, fish fry are scarce and more expensive than in previous years. Carp fry, which used to cost 35,000 to 40,000 VND/kg, are now 50,000 VND/kg. Therefore, households can only buy fish fry from many family ponds in the hamlet and village because, due to general market factors, the price of fish from hatcheries such as Xuan Hoa and Nam Giang has also increased. As a result, many large-scale fish farmers cannot afford to buy all the fry from these large hatcheries in the district.

Mr. Bui Thanh Hai, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Nam Thanh commune, said: "The low-lying, waterlogged land in the commune's double-cropping rice fields, unsuitable for winter crop cultivation, occupies a significant area, nearly 70 hectares. Many households in hamlets such as 1A, 2A, 2B, 6B, etc., have small plots of land and are unwilling or lack the necessary conditions to raise fish. The commune recognizes that leaving land fallow would result in economic losses, and developing fish farming in the third crop season would contribute to increased income, weed control, and environmental improvement for rice paddies. To encourage farmers to proactively maintain and develop the third-crop fish farming movement, from 2005-2009, the commune implemented a policy of providing support of 100,000 VND per hectare for third-crop fish farming, encouraging farmers to convert remote, poor-quality, and unproductive land to fish farming." The commune prioritizes land consolidation and demarcation by encouraging landowners to borrow or lease land, ensuring that after the fish harvest, the land is carefully handed over to the original owners in preparation for the spring crop. The commune also mobilizes residents to build embankments to retain water and raise fish wherever flooding occurs. To date, Nam Thanh has encouraged residents to proactively allocate fragmented, small plots of land to eligible households for concentrated investment and contracting for the third fish farming season.

Thanks to the large-scale consolidation of low-lying rice paddies for third-crop fish farming, Nam Thanh has created a favorable environment for over 40 flocks of ducks, totaling more than 2,000 laying and meat ducks throughout the commune. According to local calculations, in three months of fish farming, households in Nam Thanh can harvest nearly 24 tons of commercial fish, averaging 5 quintals per hectare of water surface. However, besides the general difficulties related to seasonality and weather, third-crop fish farming in Nam Thanh faces many challenges in terms of marketing, which discourages farmers from investing. It is understood that in the future, the commune will continue to encourage residents to develop third-crop fish farming with intensive investment, using industrial feed to increase the proportion of commercial fish, while also focusing on finding market outlets.

Luong Mai