Food silkworms raised at the end of the season are not enough to sell.

At the house of Ms. Pham Thi Que (43 years old) in hamlet 8, Khanh Son 1 commune, in the old house, on the table, on the bamboo rack in the middle of the house, there were many trays of silkworms in the feeding period. While spreading mulberry leaves, Ms. Que told the story of raising silkworms and affirmed that "her family has been in the business for decades".

For the past 3 years, people in Khanh Son commune have switched to raising silkworms for food. Photo: Huy Thu

This year, Ms. Que's family used 2 sao of land to grow mulberry, raising 1 batch of silkworms each month. With 1.5 rounds of eggs, when the silkworms eat, she can divide them into 7 baskets of silkworms. In the summer, it takes about 25 days to complete a batch; in the winter, it takes longer, about 28 - 30 days. Each batch of good silkworms can raise about 35 kg, sold for 80,000 VND/kg, after expenses, she earns more than 2.5 million VND.

Ms. Que said: “The advantage of raising silkworms for food is that it is simple and anyone can do it, as long as they are diligent. Compared to other livestock such as pigs and chickens, I find that raising silkworms brings a more stable income, and in general, it is easy to make money. This year, silkworms are getting more expensive towards the end of the season. Every day, people ask to buy silkworms but there are none to sell.”

The last baskets of silkworms of the season are ripening. Photo: Huy Thu

Leaving Ms. Que's house, we went to Mr. Nguyen Van Hoang's house (51 years old) - a neighbor. While drying silkworm manure in the yard, Mr. Hoang excitedly said: "This year, my family has set aside 4 sao of land to grow mulberry to raise silkworms. Each batch of 2 egg cycles yields 9-10 baskets of silkworms to eat. Living alone at home, in addition to raising 3 cows, geese, and chickens, I can still raise quite a lot of silkworms."

Mr. Nguyen Van Hoang is harvesting silkworms. Photo: Huy Thu

Leading visitors into the house, Mr. Hoang did not hesitate to share his family's silkworm raising techniques. In the horizontal house, he placed two rows of shelves to hold large silkworm trays. The last room of the main house was used by him to collect mulberry leaves. Every day, he drove his cart to the field to pick 5 bags of mulberry leaves for the silkworms to eat gradually throughout the day and night (6 times/day). Each batch of silkworms raised well produced about 54 kg of mature silkworms, bringing in an income of about 4 million VND; in addition, 40 kg of silkworm manure was also bought by traders at 3,000 VND/kg.

Food silkworms are "ripe" and plump. Photo: Huy Thu

According to Mr. Hoang: “Silkworms are a nutritious food, in this era of chemical chaos, they are also a clean product, easy to process, so they are loved by everyone. Silkworms are not yet “ripe” but people come to the house to order, so there is no need to worry about output. The price of silkworms at the end of the season is stable at 80,000 - 90,000 VND/kg, and everything is sold out.”

Thanks to raising silkworms for food and knowing how to combine it with other livestock models, Mr. Hoang's family has a fairly stable source of income; raising silkworms alone earns 40 million VND/year. "People say that raising pigs means eating while lying down, raising silkworms means eating while standing. Although it is a bit busy, in agricultural production, I find raising silkworms the most profitable, with little capital, good health and quick income" - Mr. Hoang happily said.

Each silkworm basket yields about 5 kg of "ripe" silkworms. Photo: Huy Thu

It is known that silkworm farming in Khanh Son has existed for a long time. Previously, people raised silkworms for silk, but in the past 3 years, they have switched to raising silkworms for food, and "cooked" silkworms are sold as food. Currently, in the commune, there are only about 30 households still maintaining silkworm farming, concentrated in hamlets 8 and 10.

The household that raises the most silkworms is Mr. Ho Dinh Huy's family in hamlet 10. Each batch usually incubates 3 rounds of eggs, raising about 75 kg of commercial silkworms.

The silkworms that people choose to raise here are the Vietnamese golden silkworms imported from Thai Binh. This silkworm breed has the ability to withstand hot, humid weather and is rarely sick; when it produces finished products for food, it is of high quality and is therefore favored by customers.

Silkworm manure is also purchased by traders. Photo: Huy Thu

Mr. Ho Dinh Cong - Secretary of the Party Cell of Hamlet 8, Khanh Son Commune said: The silkworm farming profession exploits the potential of the alluvial land along the Lam River, takes advantage of idle labor resources and brings high income to farmers. Although there are many advantages in natural conditions, production experience, market demand, etc., the expansion of livestock farming and replication of silkworm farming models in households is still limited. If the authorities pay attention and people boldly invest, the silkworm farming profession in Khanh Son will have new developments, bringing higher economic efficiency.