His family has 8 hectares of rice fields in a low-lying area, each year only producing 2 rice crops combined with fish crops during the flood season. In previous years, Mr. Truong Cong Dinh, in Hoa An commune, Phung Hiep district, (Hau Giang province) mainly chose white fish to raise in the fields.
But this year, he invested nearly 100 million VND to dredge canals in the fields and buy two types of fish, yellow catfish and striped snakehead fish, to raise.
Mr. Dinh said: “To effectively raise yellow catfish in the field, first of all, farmers need to create a ditch about 1m long running along the field, with a relative depth so that when the water surface gets hot due to sunlight, the fish can go down there to take shelter. The fish will take advantage of available food sources in the field such as rice husks and insects to develop. After 5 months of raising, the fish will reach an average weight of 5-6 fish/kg.”
The model of raising yellow catfish and striped snakehead fish in rice fields associated with product consumption is a pilot model deployed by the Center for Agricultural Extension and Agricultural Services of Hau Giang province in 2023 with a total area of 15 hectares in Hoa An commune and Hiep Hung commune.
The total cost of implementing the model is over 661 million VND, of which the budget supports 50% and the people contribute 50%. The stocking density is 1.3 fish/m2.
Of the 5 households participating in the model, 1 has sold all, 4 are gradually harvesting to sell at an average price of 45,000-50,000 VND/kg (depending on the type). The average yield for yellow catfish is 1,073 kg/ha, striped snakehead fish is 221 kg/ha, after deducting all investment costs, farmers earn a profit of 17.7 million VND/ha.
After 5 months of raising yellow catfish and striped snakehead fish in the rice field in Phung Hiep district (Hau Giang province), the yellow catfish reached a weight of 5-6 fish/kg. Photo: D. KHÁNH
As one of the four remaining households that have not yet harvested all the yellow catfish and striped snakehead fish, but to proceed with the winter-spring crop, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Hiep, in Hiep Hung commune, has proactively pumped water to let the fish drain into the canals. On the bank, Mr. Hiep uses nets to surround the rice area so that the fish cannot go to the fields, waiting for traders to set a price before harvesting.
Mr. Hiep said: “The fish are now ready to be sold, but recently the price has fallen compared to the winter-spring crop fish, so the family decided to stay put and spread a little food every day so that the fish can continue to grow. When the price stabilizes, we will harvest and sell.”
According to the Agricultural Extension and Services Center of Hau Giang province, yellow catfish and striped snakehead fish are both omnivorous aquatic species but their habits and hunting process are completely different.
Yellow catfish mainly live on the bottom and will take advantage of food such as insects and worms, while striped gourami living on the surface will take advantage of food such as moss and rice husks to grow. Not to mention, the excrement of striped gourami is also a source of food for catfish below. It is because of these advantages that the center has chosen these two types of aquatic products to combine to develop the model.
Mr. Trieu Quoc Duong, Deputy Head of Technical Department, Agricultural Extension and Services Center of Hau Giang province, said: "In recent times, farmers in the province have grown many types of rice field fish, but most of them do not bring high value.
Therefore, in the past time, the center has researched and raised many types of fish together. During the experimental farming process, the center's technical staff discovered that these two types of fish when raised together will bring many benefits. Not to mention the value of these two types of aquatic products is currently quite high compared to other fish species.
Mr. Tran Van Tuan, Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Phung Hiep District (Hau Giang Province) said: Phung Hiep District is a large specialized area for rice field fish farming in Hau Giang Province. Every year, farmers here convert about 4,000 hectares of ineffective rice production land to rice field fish farming.
In addition to economic factors, raising fish in rice fields also contributes to improving soil fertility and field sanitation. The effective combination of yellow catfish and striped snakehead fish on the same farming area will contribute to diversifying the livestock structure, increasing economic efficiency for farmers.
Therefore, in the coming time, the district will organize the replication of this model for farmers in the district. In the 2024 flood season, it is expected to expand about 30 hectares to apply the combined farming of these two aquatic species.
The provincial Agricultural Extension and Agricultural Services Center said that over the past 20 years, it has implemented over 178 hectares of models in the field of aquaculture, with the participation of 453 households. In particular, it focuses on building aquaculture extension models for locally adapted and economically effective farming species, specifically: snakehead fish, pangasius, and other freshwater fish.
The center also focuses on building a rice-fish farming model, a combined model to take advantage of the water surface area to contribute to increasing people's income. In addition, it also encourages the building of a community management model for aquaculture production activities, including developing aquaculture in a sustainable direction; building a farming model applying GAP, SQF1000CM processes, etc.
Build industrial-scale production models, linkage models between household groups, cooperatives, aquaculture enterprises with processing enterprises, domestic and foreign companies and corporations with the ability to consume products.
Implementing the model to support the construction of a model of intensive pangasius farming that meets VietGAP certification; intensive farming of eels in tanks using industrial feed; building a model of lotus cultivation combined with snakehead fish farming in low-lying areas; raising eels in tanks in the direction of food safety and hygiene associated with chain linkage to increase product value; fish farming model in rice fields... The models have brought practical results to people, helping to increase income on the same unit of area, and have been maintained, developed and replicated by localities.
Source: https://danviet.vn/nuoi-ca-tre-ghep-ca-sac-ran-chung-mot-ruong-dan-o-mot-xa-cua-hau-giang-bat-ngo-thu-tien-nhieu-hon-20240624132556614.htm
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