Nghe An farmers 'earn double profits' from golden apple snails
In recent days, Nghe An farmers have made a lot of money from catching golden apple snails to import for traders, both to earn extra income and to protect their crops.
Every day, Mr. Thien and Mrs. Binh in Hamlet 5, Dien Truong (Dien Chau) earn from 300,000 to 500,000 VND from catching golden apple snails to sell to traders.
Previously, the couple only caught golden apple snails on a few acres of their family's fields to prevent them from harming the rice. The snails they caught were mainly used to break the shells, take the intestines to feed chickens and pigs, and on days when they caught a lot, they dug holes, sprinkled lime and buried them.
In recent years, when there are traders buying, the couple has another job of catching golden apple snails. After catching all the snails in their fields and in the commune, they go to other communes, even other districts to catch snails. There are days when the couple catches hundreds of kilograms of snails.
“Every rice field is full of golden apple snails. In 1 hour, I can catch 20 kg of snails, and in hot sunny days, I go fishing at night. On average, I catch 1.5-2 quintals of snails per day, selling them to traders for 3,000 VND/kg, bringing in a decent income,” said Ms. Binh.
In just the first 4 days of July, farmers in Thuong Son commune (Do Luong) caught 12 tons of golden apple snails in local fields. Of these, 6 tons were sold to traders for 2,000 VND/kg; the remaining snails were processed by people into animal feed.
Mr. Nguyen Tat Hao - Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Thuong Son Commune (Do Luong) said: "There are countless golden apple snails in rice fields, marshes, and ponds. If we do not destroy them early, they will become a problem, causing damage to crops. As soon as the rice turns green, the golden apple snails bite the stem, making it necessary to replant, which is very difficult and costly.
Therefore, the Commune Farmers' Association has organized a campaign to mobilize the entire population to destroy golden apple snails; promoted propaganda on loudspeakers, via Zalo, Facebook to call on people to catch and handle golden apple snails.
At the same time, the Commune Farmers’ Association connected with traders to purchase golden apple snails for the people. Not only did they catch snails to protect the rice fields, but they also had extra income, so the people responded very positively.
In other localities such as Dien Chau, Quynh Luu, Hoang Mai town, Yen Thanh... the purchase of golden apple snails has been taking place in recent years.
Thanks to traders who buy and consume, people have been active in catching golden apple snails, preventing snails from harming rice, encroaching on the habitat of other creatures, and causing ecological imbalance.
“Previously, only a small part of the golden apple snails that were caught were used by people as animal feed, the rest were dumped on the road and crushed by vehicles, causing traffic insecurity and environmental pollution. Now, people import all the golden apple snails they catch to traders, so there is no longer a situation of dumping golden apple snails haphazardly,” said Mr. Nguyen Xuan Cap, in Hamlet 7, Thuong Son Commune (Do Luong).
On average, every day, Ms. Ho Thi Lich in village 5, Dien Truong commune (Dien Chau) buys from 13 to 15 tons of golden apple snails for local people: Dien Chau, Quynh Luu at the price of 3,000 VND/kg. In addition to people coming directly to the facility, she also hires 3 other workers to collect snails from other places; hires workers to wash snails with a salary of 500,000-700,000 VND/person/day.
After being purchased, the snails will be put into 50 kg bags, watered and washed clean so that traders can transport them to Phu Yen for consumption.
“Our facility has been purchasing golden apple snails for several years now. We purchase unlimited quantities and all year round. Golden apple snails are purchased by traders in Phu Yen, An Giang, and Ca Mau to feed lobsters, basa fish, to process animal feed, and to make food,” said Ms. Lich.
Easy to catch, sell for a good price, and bring in a good income, so catching golden apple snails has become a side job for many farmers.
Collecting golden apple snails to sell to traders is a win-win situation as it protects crops and farmers have more income. However, we have also promoted and advised people not to cultivate them in any form, because in agricultural production, golden apple snails are omnivorous and harmful to rice plants.
Mr. Phan Duy Hai - Deputy Head of the Provincial Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection