Quy Chau: Poverty reduction through cattle breeding

(Baonghean) - With the potential and advantages of land, natural food sources, and abundant agricultural by-products, in recent years, along with the strong transformation of crop structure, Quy Chau district has focused on leading and directing people to promote livestock development, thereby contributing to hunger eradication and poverty reduction.

Like many other young couples in the mountains, after getting married, Mr. Tran Xuan Hop and his wife, Tan Huong 1 block, Tan Lac town, encountered many difficulties in finding a living. In addition to 3 sao of rice fields, they also had to work for hire, carry loads, pick bamboo shoots and chop firewood to sell, but the family's life was still poor.

After much thought and consideration, realizing that the local hill and forest advantages were favorable for livestock development, in 2003 he sold everything he could, then borrowed money from relatives to buy 12 cows and brought them to Pu Nghin peak to reclaim and graze.

The herd of 185 cows of Mr. Tran Xuan Hop's family

From small-scale farming in the early days, after more than ten years, his family has sold hundreds of cows. In addition to stabilizing the family economy and getting rich, his family continues to expand the model to raising goats, pigs, and chickens.

Mr. Hop said: The family's total herd of cows currently has 185, including 76 calving cows, 35 F3 Laisin bulls, and 74 large and small cows. On average, each year, just from selling breeding cows and beef cattle, the family earns about 600 million. "If we count the income from planting acacia, slaughterhouse services, and raising goats, pigs, and chickens, it turns out that each year after deducting expenses, the family earns over 1 billion VND" - Mr. Hop said.

Although he has only invested in livestock farming for 4 years, the model of Nguyen Van Huu’s family in Hamlet 1, Chau Hoi Commune is considered a typical one. Currently, his family has a total herd of 50 cows and goats.

“Raising cows does not cost much for food, but can take advantage of available food sources such as grass, corn, banana trees... and does not take much time for grazing... In the past 4 years alone, each year from raising cows alone, the family earns over 100 million VND in profit, not including income from goats” - Mr. Huu shared.

The herd of cows of Mr. Nguyen Van Huu's family

Mr. Dinh Khac Tung, an officer in charge of Agriculture in Chau Hoi commune, said: From the effectiveness of pioneering livestock models, up to now, most families in the commune have invested in livestock, with the smallest family having 2-3 animals, and the largest family having 30-50 animals. Therefore, the total livestock herd in the commune has reached over 9,000 animals.

Over the past years, from the policy of promoting the development of commercial livestock farming associated with expanding the grass growing area to over 2,000 hectares, up to now, the total livestock herd in Quy Chau district has reached over 56,000 heads, of which the buffalo herd is up to 18,815 heads, the cow herd is 8,310 heads, the pig herd is 26,500 heads and about over 3,300 goats... The development of livestock farming has contributed to creating a large source of income for hundreds of households, thereby reducing the poverty rate of the district to 36%.

Dang Nguyen