Nghe An farmers prepare for winter shrimp farming

(Baonghean.vn) - For the past 4 years, Dien Chau has been the only locality in the province that can raise shrimp in the cold rainy season, with a yield of up to 11 - 12 tons/ha.

Currently, farmers are preparing to release shrimp (around the end of October), hoping to "recover" part of the production lost heavily due to storm No. 10.

Shrimp ponds in Dien Trung and Dien Chau are being dried to disinfect, preparing to start releasing shrimp larvae at the end of October. Photo: Phu Huong

In 2016, the winter shrimp farming area of ​​Dien Chau accounted for about 35 hectares out of a total of 233 hectares of shrimp farming area in all three crops of the district. It is expected that this year the winter shrimp farming area will increase sharply.

According to the Head of the District's Agriculture Department, Mr. Le The Hieu, in the winter crop of 2016, the shrimp output of Dien Chau reached 90 tons, many households had high productivity and large net profits such as Mr. Nguyen Dinh Bac's household in Dien Trung commune harvested 20 tons from 2 hectares of shrimp, Nguyen Cuong in Dien Trung commune raised 1.2 hectares and harvested 16 tons, or Mr. Nguyen Huu Sy's household had only 0.2 hectares of shrimp pond but harvested 4.5 tons of products.

“The farming time is about 1.5 months longer than the main crop, costs more but gives the same yield. Moreover, because the harvest is before and after Christmas and Lunar New Year, while the main crop shrimp is usually sold for only 130 - 150 thousand VND/kg, the price of winter crop shrimp is up to 180 - 230 thousand VND/kg, sometimes there is no product to sell" - Mr. Le The Hieu said.

People reconnect the power lines to prepare for the shrimp crop. Photo: Phu Huong

Mr. Dau Ngoc Hoa, director of Vietgap livestock cooperative in Dien Trung commune, shared: From the initial few households, by the winter crop of 2016, the whole commune had 20 households raising shrimp in the winter crop, with a total area of ​​over 25 hectares, accounting for nearly half of the commune's shrimp farming area.

In particular, this year the area registered for shrimp farming in the third crop has increased sharply, reaching 37 hectares out of the total area of ​​45 hectares of shrimp ponds in the commune. Up to this point, the farming households have basically repaired, washed, dried the ponds and treated the water, creating color so that around October 15-20 they will start releasing shrimp.

In newly invested ponds, there is an air duct system under the canvas to ensure the farming environment. Photo: Phu Huong

The entire Dien Thinh commune has 11 hectares of shrimp farming in hamlets inside and outside the commune's salinity prevention dyke. Mr. Pham Ba Ai, vice chairman of the commune's People's Committee, said: The shrimp farming area for the third crop accounts for about 50% of the commune's shrimp farming area, mainly concentrated in households that harvest early shrimp for the second crop, however this year the area is likely to increase.

According to Mr. Tran Xuan Quang, Head of Aquaculture Department, Department of Fisheries, the farming areas of Quynh Luu and Hoang Mai have unsuitable water sources, in unfavorable weather conditions, it is not recommended to raise winter shrimp but focus on improving ponds to prepare the best conditions for releasing shrimp in the first crop of the following year. In Dien Chau, all households that have suffered from disease in the second crop must not raise shrimp in the third crop.

Phu Huong