Over 3,000 households in Thanh Chuong raise cattle for storage.

(Baonghean.vn) - Raising cows using confinement and fattening techniquesis an effective economic development direction applied by many people in Thanh Chuong district (Nghe An).

For many years now, every month Mr. Bui Van Cat in Hamlet 6, Thanh Luong Commune (Thanh Chuong) has attended the cow market 9 times to buy, sell and exchange. Therefore, he always has 5-7 cows in his house; when the price is right, he will sell them immediately, and when he finds them cheap, he will buy more. He said that if he is good at this job and diligently goes to the market, he can earn several million VND per session.

After buying a cow from the market, the first thing Mr. Bui Van Cat (Thanh Luong commune, Thanh Chuong district) did was to invite veterinary staff to vaccinate and remove parasites. Photo: Dinh Ha

Talking about his profession, Mr. Cat said that if you want to "buy well and sell well", you must first be diligent in going to the market. Go early and come back late. Going early can buy a "country" cow, coming back late can buy a cow that no one has bought yet...

There are many tricks of the trade, but the most important thing in this profession is to be observant and know how to estimate when buying cows. The most profitable thing is to buy lean cows with long ribs, no longer capable of plowing but not too old; bulls gain weight faster because they have large bones. After buying a cow, you must ask a veterinarian to remove parasites before raising it.

"When raising cows, they can be raised in barns or in gardens, but they must be protected from rain and sun, cool in summer and warm in winter. The process of caring for and fattening cows is also elaborate, the main food is straw, elephant grass, stork bran, corn bran, rice bran and salt. Normally, this fattening process is carried out for about 2-3 months" - Mr. Cat shared.

Many households in Ngoc Lam resettlement commune also participate in raising cows in captivity. Photo: Dinh Ha

Thanks to his diligence and skill, on average, Mr. Cat can buy and sell more than 100 cows each year, deducting expenses and earning a profit of 3-4 million VND per cow. Thanks to the cow market in the area, Thanh Luong commune now has more than 30 people specializing in raising, confining, buying and selling cows, creating a new and effective way of doing business.

Mr. Nguyen Trong Quang - Head of Thanh Luong Cow Market Management Board said: "This cow market has existed for a long time, but in the past, it was mainly for traders from other places to buy, sell and exchange. There were busy sessions but many sessions were very quiet. Since many local people joined in buying and selling, the market has always been bustling. In addition to creating jobs and increasing income for families, the locality has also increased its revenue."

The cows will be fed bran, bananas, salt and kept in pens to fatten. Photo: Dinh Ha

According to statistics, the whole district currently has over 3,000 households raising cattle in captivity for commercial purposes. Typical examples include Mr. Nguyen Huu Bien in Thanh Thinh commune, Nguyen Sy Thin in Thanh Thuy commune, Le Xuan Son in Thanh Phong commune... each household has 80 cows or more. These households have combined raising breeding cows by grazing and raising fattening cows by captivity techniques very effectively.

Realizing that raising cows in captivity is economically effective, not only Thanh Luong commune but almost all localities now have people raising cows in captivity; most are in mountainous communes and communes with large areas of hills and alluvial land.

Thanh Luong commune's cow market (Thanh Chuong) meets nine times a month and is always bustling with buyers and sellers. Photo: Dinh Ha

Based on natural conditions and social practices, Thanh Chuong has issued a project "developing some livestock associated with brand building and product consumption in the period of 2016 - 2020", identifying cattle as one of the main livestock. Accordingly, along with implementing mechanisms and policies according to regulations of the province and the State, the district also has an interest-free loan policy to rapidly increase the herd of cattle; striving to reach 45,000 cattle by 2020, achieving a meat output of 2,000 tons/year.

Along with that, the district will upgrade Thanh Luong cow market to attract traders and cow breeders from many localities to participate in buying, selling and exchanging.

Tran Dinh Ha