Mountain farmers earn nearly 100 million VND/year from cage fish farming

In 2017, the first three households to build a cage fish farming model on Khe Co lake in Dinh Phong village, Tam Dinh commune, Tuong Duong district were the families of Ngan Van Noi, Vi Van Puong and Vi Van Long.

The cage fish farming model has been tested since 2017 and has shown positive results. Photo: Nguyen Hanh

Mr. Ngan Van Noi shared: "The fish cage farming model of households is mainly invested by the family, self-researching how to make cages, buying fish breeds and then sharing with each other, thereby helping villagers coordinate investment in economic development with the hope of creating a more prosperous life for people in the highlands."

The fish that are raised by households are mainly grass carp, common carp and tilapia. Fish feed is completely natural, mainly cassava leaves, banana leaves, banana stems and forest grass.

Mr. Ngan Van Noi and Mr. Vi Van Long take care of the fish cage. Photo: Nguyen Hanh

The selected fish are healthy, easily adaptable to water, show few signs of disease, and are of uniform size.

After more than 1 year of implementation, up to now, each household has 4 fish cages with the number of fish ranging from 300 - 500. Currently, the largest grass carp weight is 3kg/fish, the average is 2 - 2.5kg/fish, tilapia is nearly 1kg/fish.

With the quality of fresh, delicious fish, firm meat due to being raised with natural food, the current selling price of fish is at least 100,000 VND/kg. It is calculated that each year, a household has an income of about 80 million VND from cage fish farming. For the people in the highlands, this is not a small amount of money.

The fish chosen for farming are grass carp, common carp and tilapia. Photo: Nguyen Hanh

Fortunately for households, cage fish always have a stable output, mainly people and traders come to the cages to buy, cage owners do not have to bring fish to the market to sell.

According to Mr. Vi Van Long: “The technique of raising fish in cages on Khe Co lake is quite simple. The water level chosen for the cage must be more than 3m deep, the depth of the fish cage must be 3m deep, the bottom of the cage must not touch the bottom of the lake. The fish cage is placed in a place with slow water flow and the water source must always be clean, the fish cage must be cleaned regularly to prevent fish diseases. A net must be placed on top of the cage to ensure that the fish do not jump out. The investment cost is low, the cage design is not expensive, the materials to make the cage are simple, mainly wood, bamboo, barrels and non-shrink woven mesh".

From the initial results, this year, households will invest in more fish fry and expand the model even larger, with the aim of creating more stable income and meeting people's needs.

Raising fish in cages costs little because the food is mainly from nature. Photo: Nguyen Hanh

Raising fish in cages on the river is creating a new direction for the people of Dinh Phong village in particular and the mountainous people of Tam Dinh commune, Tuong Duong district in general. It helps the villagers escape poverty, creates a large economic income, and improves their daily life./.