Replicating effective fisheries extension models
In recent years, aquaculture in the country has faced many difficulties due to objective and subjective factors. In that context, there are still many highly effective models that need to be replicated.
Typical Tay Son - Binh Dinh.
In 2012, the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Binh Dinh invested in replicating effective production models in poor households in Tay Son, Phu Cat, Hoai An districts...
Tay Son is one of the typical poverty reduction models, with the model of raising chickens and ducks in the garden with safe biological environment and extensive farming of improved freshwater fish. The model is implemented in Dong Sim village, Tay Xuan commune. Tay Son Agricultural Extension Station said: Dong Sim is a poor village, located next to the mountain, more than 5km from the commune center. This place has a large pond area, each household has a large garden suitable for developing aquaculture and livestock. The station has chosen two models of raising chickens in the garden with safe biological environment and extensive farming of improved freshwater fish, both taking advantage of natural conditions and stabilizing output. With 100% support from the State for buying breeds, food, and medicine to prevent and treat diseases for livestock, poor households in Dong Sim enthusiastically participate. In August 2012, on an area of 5,000m2, households raised 10,000 fish fry, earning nearly 35 million VND in profit.
In 2013, the extensive improved freshwater fish farming continued to be expanded in Phu Lam village, Tay Phu commune. Mr. Nguyen Van Canh (Phu Lam village) said that his family has been raising fish in this lake for 9-10 years and has never seen the fish grow so fast and strong; in less than 2 months, the fish have reached the level of 5-6 months of normal farming. Mr. Lam Van Lanh, Head of the District's Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, said that the poverty reduction models in Tay Son district have equipped the poor with new production knowledge, helping them see the effectiveness so that they can apply it in a new form, with a scale suitable for each family. These models have also been expanded to many other households, helping to change their lives and escape poverty.
Good news in Dak Lak
In recent years, the model of raising red-tailed catfish in floating rafts in large lakes, hydroelectric lakes... in Dak Lak has proven the economic value of this specialty fish species ranked first in the Mekong River catfish family. With a selling price of 150,000 - 200,000 VND/kg of commercial products, many red-tailed catfish models have brought in billions of VND/year in revenue. The most prominent model is the model of Mr. Tran Van Kiem (village 2) and Mr. Hoang Quoc Bai (village 5), Hoa Phu commune, Buon Ma Thuot city. In 2005, his family brought catfish for trial farming. With only 300 fish, in the first year they earned more than 200 million VND. On that basis, in July 2009, the Hoa Phu commune Catfish Club was established with 16 members, and now has 22 members, with some members harvesting about 1 ton of catfish each year.
Fish farming in hydroelectric reservoirs opens new directions for many localities -
Photo: Huy Hung
Many other households also raise more than 1,000 fish, such as the model of Mr. Nguyen Ninh Tuan (Ea Kao commune, Buon Ma Thuot city). Since 2007, he has rented the surface of Ea Kao lake and built cages to raise catfish. At first, with 3 cages, each cage has about 1,500 fish, earning a profit of more than 100 million VND. Expanding the scale, he now has 40 cages of red-tailed catfish, each cage harvests about 1.5 tons of fish/year. Mr. Tuan said that raising red-tailed catfish has little risk of disease; with a selling price of 150,000 VND/kg, he earns more than 4 billion VND/year.
For the past 3 years, at Buôn Tua Sah hydroelectric lake, in addition to the Vietnam Salmon Farming Group, there have been more than 40 households raising fish. At first, they only raised catfish, grass carp, common carp, and snakehead fish. For more than a year now, many households have raised red-tailed catfish; some households have harvested the first batches, earning hundreds of millions of VND. The area of Buôn Tua Sah lake at its peak is up to 4,200 hectares, and in the dry season, it also uses more than 1,000 hectares. Mr. Y Krang Ndu, Chairman of the People's Committee of Krong No commune, said that the effectiveness of the red-tailed catfish farming models of Buôn Tua Sah hydroelectric raft households is opening a new direction for the local aquaculture industry. The commune will support farmers to fully exploit the potential not only of the hydroelectric lake but also of hundreds of other ponds and irrigation lakes.
Get rich from salt fields - fish ponds
That is the salt making and grouper farming model of Mr. Nguyen Van Gia (An Thanh, An Ngai, Long Dien, Ba Ria - Vung Tau). With 10 hectares of salt making, he leases 7 hectares, earning more than 160 million VND in profit each year. On the remaining area, he applies a clean salt model using the tarpaulin spreading method on an area of 1 hectare. The average yield is more than 100 tons/ha. With an average selling price of 1 million VND/ton, after deducting costs, he still makes a profit of 80 million VND.
Because salt can only be produced in the dry season, Long Dien district has implemented crop rotation models such as raising tiger prawns and raising fish in the rainy season. Mr. Nguyen Van Gia, also among the first salt farmers to apply this model, said: After the salt season, he switched to raising grouper, starting from May. Each season, he bought and released 1,000 fry, 40 million VND in expenses and food, earning more than 35 million VND in profit. Thus, with the rotation of salt fields and fish ponds, his family's income reached 225 million VND/year. He is creating regular jobs for 5 workers with an income of 2.5 - 3 million VND/month. In addition, he also passed on his experience and techniques for making clean salt, expanding the crop rotation model.
According to Vietnam Fisheries - LC
