Economy

Nghe An people in the season of cutting deer antlers

Thanh Phuc • DNUM_BEZACZCACF 12:20

At this time, Nghe An farmers are busy harvesting deer antlers. This year, antlers are priced well, so farmers are very excited, with some localities earning tens of billions of dong from deer antlers.

bna_1(2).jpg — According to statistics, currently, the total deer herd in Nghe An province is estimated at about 30,000. Photo: TP

bna_2(1).jpg — Of these, Quynh Luu district and Hoang Mai town are the two localities with the most developed deer farming profession. Photo: TP

bna_3(1).jpg — Quynh Vinh Commune (Hoang Mai Town) is considered the capital of deer farming for velvet antlers with a herd of up to 1,800. Revenue from selling velvet antlers is estimated at tens of billions of VND/year.

bnaa_nuoi-nhieu(1).jpg — Of these, there are over 20 households raising deer on a large scale. Typical examples include Mr. Nguyen Ba Thang’s household (150 deer), Mr. Le Tran Trang’s household (50 deer)… Photo: TP

bna_5(1).jpg — Each male deer, at about 3 years old, will begin to produce velvet. Velvet is actually the young horn of a male deer, considered one of the four great tonics for human health. Photo: TP

ngày tuổi 2 — Each year, a healthy deer with normally developed antlers can produce 0.5-0.7kg of antlers, while a large deer can produce about 1.5-1.7kg of antlers. Photo: TP

cặp nhung — The season for cutting deer antlers starts from January to March of the lunar calendar. Antlers can only be cut once a year. Some healthy deer will have another round of fruit antlers, but they will be smaller and of lower quality than the main antlers. Deer antlers from 40-50 days old are eligible for cutting. Antler cutting must be done at the right age, not too old or too young, as this will affect the quality of the antlers as well as ensure the health of the deer in order to regenerate the antlers on time the following year. Photo: TP

According to Mr. Le Tran Trang, a long-time deer breeder in Quynh Vinh commune, from October of the previous year to January of the lunar calendar next year, it is necessary to focus on nourishing deer to stimulate their growth. In addition to feeding them with common vegetables, breeders will mix in foods rich in fat such as corn, soybeans, and sticky rice to increase nutrients, help deer grow healthily and have large antlers. Photo: TP

Nuôi hươu kỹ thuật đơn giản, thức ăn dễ kiếm, dễ trồng, tuy nhiên, chi phí ban đầu khá cao (mỗi con hươu giống 20-30 triệu đồng/con). Song vòng đời của con hươu tương đối dài (20 năm), tính trung bình mỗi năm nuôi hươu lấy lộc cho thu nhập 15 triệu đồng/con; nuôi hươu sinh sản thu về 20 triệu đồng/con. — Raising deer is a simple technique, food is easy to find and easy to grow, however, the initial cost is quite high (each deer costs 20-30 million VND). However, the life cycle of a deer is relatively long (20 years), on average, each year raising deer for food brings in an income of 15 million VND/deer; raising deer for reproduction brings in 20 million VND/deer. Photo: TP

cân nặng — The price of deer velvet is currently quite high, 11 million VND/kg, easy to consume in the market. Photo: TP

Ngoài bán nhung tươi, hiện ở Nghệ An có nhiều cơ sở chế biến sâu nhung hươu: bột, rượu, cao nhung hươu, mật ong ngâm nhung hươu và nhung hươu thái lát… được cấp chứng nhận đăng ký nhãn hiệu, được “gắn sao” OCOP, nâng giá trị và thu nhập cho người nuôi hươu lấy nhung. — In addition to selling fresh velvet, Nghe An currently has many facilities that deeply process velvet: powder, wine, velvet extract, honey soaked in velvet and sliced velvet... which have been granted trademark registration certificates, "starred" by OCOP, increasing the value and income for people raising deer for velvet. Photo: TP

Thanh Phuc