Fish lover of Chua Sang land

(Baonghean) - “You have to learn and apply science and technology from books, documents, and more importantly, you have to be passionate to succeed. Nowadays, the media and printing press have many programs and documents about animal husbandry techniques. Whatever animal you raise, you should take the time to collect and read documents about that animal to understand its characteristics. Only when you have a firm grasp of the technique can you decide to invest, don't be hasty...”.

In the hot late summer afternoon sun, we followed the newly expanded inner-field road according to the NTM criteria to the fish farm of Mr. Tan Quy Cu in the Chua Sang field of Chau Linh hamlet (Duc Thanh commune, Yen Thanh). From the cramped 2-room house built temporarily next to the pond, a man of average height stepped out, his face dark, gaunt, and his mustache wilting. He was Tan Quy Cu, the owner of this fish farm. Carrying a rickety bamboo bed under the shade in front of the roof, Mr. Cu began the story of his attachment to fish farming. In the story, he told about the process of struggling, stumbling, and then getting up to have today...

Mr. Cu next to the pond raising monosex tilapia.

Originally a worker at Song Hieu Company, his job was to protect and exploit the forest, then he returned home to work for hire everywhere, including as a contractor for people's housing construction projects... but he returned empty-handed. One time, he discussed with his wife that they should go to the fields together to make use of a few sao of contracted rice fields, combining rice cultivation with fish farming. With his wife's consent, in 2004, he decided to convert 9 sao of contracted rice fields in Chua Sang field to rice-fish farming. Chua Sang field has the advantage of using the water source of the Nong Giang canal, so the rice fields can always regulate the water level appropriately, which is very convenient for rice-fish farming. During the process of raising fish, he diligently watched TV, read books, newspapers, and documents, so the fish grew quickly and the rice plants also yielded a bountiful harvest.

Seeing that Mr. Cu was good at raising fish, the local government created conditions for him to dig a fish pond, with the aim of building it into a model for the locality. Out of those 9 sao of rice fields, he dug 2 ponds, one 7 sao wide for raising commercial fish, one pond larger than 1 sao for raising fish fry, the remaining land was used to build a temporary shed to live in and build a pig, chicken and duck farming system. During those years, he raised traditional fish, although the profit was not high, but he had enough to eat and save. In 2008, he watched TV and saw farmers in the northern localities investing in raising monosex tilapia, bringing high economic efficiency. After watching, he was very interested, but to do it like others was not easy, because intensive fish farming requires applying the right techniques.

At night, he always thought about monosex tilapia. Seeing him struggling, his wife, Pham Thi Nguyet, agreed and supported him. "A hundred times hearing is not as good as one time seeing", he took the trouble to go to the North to find famous monosex tilapia farming models to learn from practical experience. After mastering monosex tilapia farming techniques, he returned to handle the entire fish pond system accordingly. For him, the fish fry was a real struggle, with many failures. At first, he went all the way to Thailand and Laos to buy monosex tilapia fry, but it was not effective because the distance was long and the fish transported back was not guaranteed. After that, he went to the northern provinces, looking for fish hatcheries to order, but only the Aquaculture Research Institute I (Bac Ninh) could ensure the quality, which was the monosex tilapia fry Duong Nghiep - Philippines.

Tilapia.

With a water surface area of ​​3,500 m2 in his pond, each batch of 150,000 fish is technically correct. From 2009 to now, every year Mr. Cu directly goes to Bac Ninh 2 trips to buy fish fry to raise. Mr. Cu said: The purchased fish fry are raised for about 1 month in the nursery pond system, when the fish reach a weight of about 250 - 300 fish/kg, they are transferred to the rearing pond. The fish pond system must also be treated very carefully, otherwise the fish cannot survive. By this, after harvesting a batch of fish, drain the water, sprinkle lime powder on the bottom of the pond (sprinkle 25 kg of lime powder on 1 sao), or chemicals to kill miscellaneous fish. After a few days, add manure, URE nitrogen and phosphate fertilizer to the bottom of the pond. Leave the bottom of the pond for 2 days, then drain the water to about 20 - 30 cm, then use chemicals to create color, or Trung Viet ecological products to sprinkle down, soak for 2 days, continue to drain the water to about 2/3 of the pond, after 2 - 3 days drain to provide enough water for the pond. Wait until the water in the pond turns banana green, then release the fish. During the farming process, it is necessary to monitor the water color and the behavior of the fish daily to handle it appropriately. If the water is cloudy, combined with a fishy smell, the fish's mouth floats on the water surface, it is considered that the water in the pond does not meet the oxygen requirements. At times like that, it is necessary to handle it immediately, by fertilizing with urea, otherwise the fish will die. His daily work is to wake up in the morning and walk around the pond bank in the afternoon to observe the water color of the pond and the behavior of the fish to feel secure.

Mr. Cu boasted that a batch of 20,000 fish fry costs about 3.5 million VND, and during the incubation and rearing process, the loss rate is about 30%. After 4-5 months of rearing, the fish weigh 4-5 taels/fish, the output is 3-4 tons of commercial fish, the selling price on the spot is 25,000-30,000 VND/kg, earning about 120 million VND. After deducting all costs, seeds, and food, about 60%, the profit is 40%. Thus, after a batch of fish, Mr. Cu and his wife earn about 50 million VND. In a year, excluding the time spent on pond treatment, he raises 2 batches of fish for sure. When the fish are ready to be harvested, traders from Nghia Dan, Dien Chau, and Thai Hoa drive cars to the site, drain the pond, catch all the fish, and transport them for sale. He keeps all of that profit, because in addition to raising fish, he and his wife also raise laying ducks and pigeons. Ms. Pham Thi Nguyet confided: Every day, 300 ducks lay more than 200 eggs, selling them for import brings in tens of thousands of dong in profit, plus nearly 50 pairs of pigeons, selling a pair of breeding birds each day brings in 80,000 dong, the total amount of money earned from ducks and pigeons is enough for the grandparents' daily expenses, because the children have their own families.

Mr. Cu confided: “To have a fish farm like this, I had to sell many of my family's assets. Before deciding to come here to do business, I risked selling a plowing buffalo, a cow, and a plot of land to invest here. At that time, a buffalo and a cow were a big asset for farmers. Not enough, I had to borrow another 80 million VND from the bank, relatives, and friends. I know my wife did not agree much, but she still encouraged me, giving me more motivation. Up to now, my investment has not been in vain...”. The gain of Mr. Cu and his wife is not only for themselves, but more importantly, it is to guide their children in new ways of doing business, with their own uniqueness.

With the money accumulated over the years, Mr. Cu and his wife have the conditions to help their children in investing in business. At the end of 2013, the commune implemented the conversion of land from small plots to large plots. His two children, Tan Quy Bang and his daughter Tan Thi Nam, applied to bid, each for 3 hectares of poor local land in Chua Sang field, about 200 meters from his fish farm, to invest in digging fish ponds, following his model. From the land where rice plants could not grow grass, each of Mr. Cu's children invested no less than 300 million VND, renting pond excavators, building banks... now a system of ponds has been formed, ensuring the requirements for raising monosex tilapia. Thus, Mr. Cu and his children have awakened the Chua Sang field with their passion and determination. Not long from now, in this Chua Sang rice field, Mr. Cu and his sons will annually supply the market with a large amount of food from monosex tilapia.

Asked about his experience in raising fish, Mr. Cu confided: “Raising anything is the same, you have to learn and apply science and technology from books, documents, and more importantly, you have to be passionate to succeed. Nowadays, the media and printing press have many programs and documents about raising techniques, whatever you raise, you should take the time to collect and read documents about that animal to understand its characteristics. When you have a firm grasp of the technique, then decide to invest, don't be hasty... Therefore, in my cabinet now there are many documents related to raising fish, ducks, pigeons. The characteristics of monosex tilapia are easy to raise, large body, small head, high meat ratio, delicious meat, high nutrients, so it is easy to consume in the market".

It was already dark when I said goodbye to Mr. Cu and his wife. The image of an old farmer with a passion for fish farming, daring to think and act, becoming a typical example in the economic development model of Duc Thanh commune, is still vivid in my mind!

Article and photos:Xuan Hoang