Selling slow-growing shrimp to 'keep profits'
(Baonghean.vn) - Shrimp farming in the second crop under unfavorable weather conditions has resulted in low productivity and output. To avoid losses, farmers in Quynh Luu district (Nghe An) are focusing on harvesting slow-growing shrimp ponds.
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| Farmers in Quynh Luu (Nghe An) harvest shrimp crop 2. Photo: Viet Hung |
After finishing the first crop pond treatment, from June 15, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hoa in Quynh Yen commune started releasing shrimp seeds for the second crop. With 2 ponds with an area of 3,000 m2, the shrimp are now 70 - 80 days old. If last year, the shrimp at this stage reached 70 - 80 shrimp/kg, this crop is 100 - 110 shrimp/kg. The shrimp grow slowly, so Mr. Hoa harvested the 80-day-old pond to sell to traders.
"The second crop of shrimp is often more difficult and unstable than the first crop due to erratic weather and many diseases. Although the family takes care of the shrimp according to the process, the shrimp still grow slowly. If we continue to raise them, we will lose about 3 million VND per day in feed. Accepting a small profit, the family sells 10 days in advance" - said Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hoa.
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| Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hoa in Quynh Yen commune harvests shrimp crop 2. After 80 days of farming, the shrimp only reached 110 shrimp/kg. Photo: Viet Hung |
Not only Mr. Hoa's household, many slow-growing shrimp farming households in Quynh Bang commune are also urgently harvesting the second crop.Mr. Ho Van Nam - a shrimp farmer in Mai Giang hamlet said that in the second crop of shrimp farming, when farmers were applying the water cooling process and creating a stable environment for shrimp growth, there were often many rains that caused heat shock to the shrimp. Therefore, shrimp growth in this crop was often slower.
"The family has just harvested a 3,000 m2 pond.2reached 120 shrimp/kg. The shrimp were not only low-yielding, but also sold at a time when shrimp prices were low, so there was not much profit. After deducting expenses, the profit was only about 100 million VND after 3 months of farming (3 times lower than last year)" - Mr. Nam said.
According to shrimp farmers in Quynh Luu, shrimp prices were only high at the beginning of the first crop, but have been falling since the middle of the first crop. Currently, shrimp weighing 40-50 pieces/kg cost 160,000-170,000 VND; shrimp weighing 100-110 pieces/kg cost 90,000-100,000 VND.
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| Traders buy shrimp for people. Currently, shrimp have low purchase prices, 40 - 50 shrimp/kg costs 160,000 - 170,000 VND; 100 - 110 shrimp/kg costs 90,000 - 100,000 VND. |
Mr. Vu Van Duong - Vice Chairman of Quynh Bang Commune People's Committee said that the locality has more than 200 hectares of shrimp farming area, and determined that the second crop is difficult to raise, so many families choose to raise selectively; therefore, the area for the second crop in the whole commune is currently more than 120 hectares. In the face of unfavorable weather conditions, the commune recommends that people regularly check shrimp ponds; when shrimp show signs of slow or abnormal growth, they need to harvest early to make a profit. For shrimp areas that are growing well, people need to take care of them and find markets so that the shrimp can be sold at a higher value.
In the second crop of 2018, the entire Quynh Luu district released about 300/460 hectares of shrimp. From this time until the end of September, people will finish harvesting the second crop of shrimp.