Raising civet cats - a new model in the border commune of Que Phong

Following Mr. Sam Van Hien - Secretary of the Party Cell of Muong Cat village, Thong Thu border commune (Que Phong), we went to the civet farm of Mr. Lo Van Nhan's family in the same village. Currently, Mr. Nhan has invested in a farm area with 43 cages made of iron frames and steel mesh and is raising 20 civets.

Mr. Lo Van Nhan said that in 2033, he accidentally discovered that the civet farming model in the northern provinces had potential, so he researched it. After being licensed by the competent authority, he boldly bought 6 breeding animals to raise. Compared to other animals, civets have high economic value, especially the increasing demand of restaurants and eateries. Therefore, the output of civet meat is favorable.

Thanks to the good application of breeding techniques, Mr. Nhan's civet herd is growing and developing. Because the herd is multiplying, the civets are raised after breeding, and the total herd is increasing. A mother civet gives birth to 1-3 cubs each year. "Commercial civets are purchased by a source in Lao Cai at a price of 1.2-1.3 million VND/kg, and all the civets are bought, but because I am multiplying the herd, I have not sold them yet," Mr. Nhan shared.

According to Mr. Nhan, civets are easy to raise, omnivorous, rarely get sick, do not need a large area and especially do not pollute the environment. For the cage, there must be a heating system in the winter, a heat-resistant system in the summer, ensuring the temperature of the cage area is always stable.

Mr. Nhan's civet farm consists of many cages, each cage is about 1m2, raising only 1 civet. The civet's food is mainly ripe fruits: bananas, papaya... and river fish cooked into porridge. Every day, the civets are fed twice, fruit in the morning and porridge in the afternoon. Fruits are mainly taken advantage of in the garden and bought cheaply locally, river fish are caught in the lake. Therefore, raising civets not only requires less space, low cost, but also easy to care for. However, to raise civets, a lot of initial investment is required. Mr. Nhan initially invested 100 million VND to build cages and breeds, of which the breeds were bought at 3.5 million VND/civet.

According to Mr. Luong Van Huan - Chairman of Thong Thu Commune People's Committee, in recent years, people in the commune have learned from experience and invested in many types of specialty animals such as civets, porcupines, bamboo rats... with 3 new models, instead of only knowing how to raise traditional livestock: buffalo, cows, pigs, chickens...

Mr. Lo Van Nhan's family has been resettled in the Hua Na Hydropower Reservoir since 2012. Due to their diligence, hard work and willingness to learn, the family escaped poverty many years ago and is now one of the most successful families in the locality. Mr. Huan believes that when raising wild animals such as porcupines, civets, bamboo rats, etc., people need to comply with regulations on wildlife protection and have a certificate from the Forest Protection Department.

Also according to the recommendations of the industry, to raise wild animals to bring high economic efficiency, breeders need to understand the characteristics of civets to apply breeding techniques and care for them. At the same time, breeders need to buy breeding animals from legal breeding farms, with clear origins. During the breeding process, a logbook must be kept, periodic reports must be made and inspections and supervision by state management agencies must be carried out.