Cua Lo Town: Many farming and livestock models generate high income.

(Baonghean)Currently, the proportion of agriculture in Cua Lo is gradually decreasing. In 2011, the value of agricultural production accounted for only about 6% of the total production value in the area. The town's congress resolution aims to reduce this to 4-5% by the end of the term, and the goal is to change the structure of crops and livestock towards production with high economic efficiency.

In Nghi Thu and Nghi Huong communes, besides specialized vegetable farming, farmers have introduced glutinous corn into large-scale production to serve the tourism industry, generating an income of 60 million VND/hectare/season. This shift is also evident in the choice of livestock. Together with agricultural extension officers from the town, we visited the pheasant farming model of Mr. Hoang Khac Anh's household in Block 2, Nghi Huong ward. As a young man eager to learn and explore, Hoang Khac Anh tried various jobs but still couldn't improve his situation.

The flock of pheasants belonging to Hoang Khac Anh (Block 2 - Nghi Huong Ward - Cua Lo)

Through the media, he learned that pheasants were a new livestock species, so he went to the Institute of Animal Husbandry and "emptied his pockets" to buy 30 eggs. Along with the Institute's guidance materials, he diligently learned from experience while raising them. After more than a year of building his flock, he now has 16 breeding pairs and 40 young pairs. From those initial 30 eggs, he now has over 100 million VND from breeding birds, not including tens of millions of VND earned from selling chicks and eggs.

According to him, pheasants are easier to raise than chickens, are wild birds with high resistance to disease, and are economically viable. To assist breeders, he compiled a guide on pheasant farming techniques based on his own experience. For his achievements, Hoang Khac Anh was one of nine outstanding young people from Nghe An province awarded the Luong Dinh Cua Prize by the Central Youth Union in 2011.

Raising porcupines is also a growing profession in Cua Lo. From just a few pairs of porcupines owned by Mr. Vu Van Yen in Block 12, Nghi Huong Ward, the entire town now has about 30 households participating with more than 100 breeding pairs of porcupines. A porcupine farming household will soon be established in Cua Lo to collectively build this movement.

Cage fish farming model in Nghi Tan ward

In Nghi Tan ward, the cage fish farming movement is currently developing. Following the success of a few households three years ago, cage fish farming has become a widespread trend. Currently, 14 households are participating with approximately 1500 m³ of cages. Mr. Nguyen Van Hoang, from Block 8, Nghi Tan ward, has been involved in cage fish farming for three years. Seeing the effectiveness of cage fish farming, in 2011 he adopted the model from the town's Agricultural Extension Station. With two cages, he stocked nearly 3,000 juvenile sea bass, which have now reached 200g/each. To expand production, his family is investing in eight more cages. Once he has enough cages, he plans to completely abandon fishing to switch to fish farming. According to him, Cua Lo has the advantage of having a cheap source of trash fish, resulting in low production costs and sufficient competitiveness in the market. Based on previous farming cycles, after deducting expenses, each fish cage brings in about 50 million VND in six months.

Based on the success of the cage fish farming model, Cua Lo town is planning to transform some inefficient and environmentally damaging fishing methods into marine aquaculture.

Over the years, alongside the shift in labor structure from agriculture to services, farmers in Cua Lo have been choosing a path to increase their income efficiency by focusing on agricultural production to serve tourism.

Mr. Tuan