Raising bamboo rats in dark cages, selling these wild animals at high prices, farmers in Binh Phuoc are getting rich

The Dong Xoai City Farmers Support Fund, Binh Phuoc Province, has disbursed capital to three young farmers to invest in raising bamboo rats - a wild animal species. In Binh Phuoc, models of raising wild animals and raising specialty animals are bringing high economic efficiency.

Raising bamboo rats in the city, why not?

On September 27, 2024, the Farmers' Association and the Farmers' Support Fund of Dong Xoai City, Binh Phuoc Province officially disbursed the fund capital for 2024. Accordingly, the disbursed capital of 150 million VND was lent by the Farmers' Association of Dong Xoai City to 3 farmers - young entrepreneurs - for the purpose of investing in breeding bamboo rats.

According to Mr. Le Ly Tuong - who used to work in the Farmers' Association of Binh Phuoc province: "The bamboo rat is a species of wild animal, belonging to the rodent family, gentle, very easy to raise, and requires little care. The food is all things that are abundant around. Meanwhile, the bamboo rat grows very quickly.

Raising bamboo rats does not cause any bad smell; therefore, the cages will not have a negative impact on the environment. With the space, climate and soil conditions in Dong Xoai City in particular and other localities in general in Binh Phuoc province, raising bamboo rats for reproduction to supply the market is very suitable.

Indeed, realizing that member households still face many difficulties in capital to invest in building barns, buying breeding animals and animal feed, the Tan Phu Ward Farmers' Association has built a project to raise bamboo rats for reproduction, proposed to borrow capital from the Farmers' Support Fund, to help farmer members have more capital to invest in production...

Dong Xoai City Farmers' Association awarded loans (VND150 million) from the Farmers' Support Fund to three farmers to invest in breeding bamboo rats in Tan Phu Ward, Dong Xoai City, Binh Phuoc Province. Photo: HND

From there, Dong Xoai City Farmers Support Fund organized an appraisal and decided to disburse 150 million VND to 3 farmers (50 million VND/household), within 36 months.

Three farming households received loans to raise bamboo rats in Dong Xoai City, Binh Phuoc Province. Bamboo rats are a species of mammal, forest animal, and wild animal. Photo: HND

Mr. Nguyen Quang Hoa - Vice Chairman of Tan Phu Ward People's Committee, said: "This is a new urban agricultural model, there is no reason not to invest in development? It is suitable for the characteristics of urban areas, when agricultural land area is increasingly narrowing.

With only a small production area, the model has helped farmers gain large profits. The bamboo rat breeding model has a lot of potential and can be replicated in the ward and city."

I like animals that sleep soundly during the day and eat slowly at night, so I started a business raising bamboo rats.

Mr. Nguyen The Tam (permanent resident of village 4, Long Ha commune, Phu Rieng district) is also one of the farmers who started a business, raising bamboo rats in Binh Phuoc province.

Mr. Tam said: "For a long time, I have had a great affection for the gentle, plump bamboo rats. They are so different, they sleep soundly during the day, but at night, they are wide awake, lying around looking for food all night. So I tried to find out how to raise bamboo rats."

At first, Mr. Tam tried to raise 10 pairs of breeding rats. He tried to turn 100 square meters of his family's land into a cage to raise rats. But he did not know how to care for them or how to feed them, so one pair after another... died. Not discouraged, he bought another 10 pairs to raise again, but still without success. Mr. Tam continued to do it again...

Mr. Nguyen The Tam at his family's bamboo rat farm in village 4, Long Ha commune, Phu Rieng district, Binh Phuoc province. Photo: N.D.T

Mr. Tam shared: "I often go online to learn about breeding techniques, disease prevention measures and visit some bamboo rat breeding models in the province, as well as some provinces in the West to visit and learn from experience. It was not until the third time that I successfully bred them, and the bamboo rats began to reproduce."

From 10 breeding pairs, Mr. Tam gradually bred up to 150 breeding pairs of bamboo rats. Each year, the mother bamboo rat gives birth to 3 litters, each litter has 2-4 bamboo rats, after about 3 months the bamboo rats can be sold (about 1.5 million VND/pair). As for raising bamboo rats for meat, each bamboo rat is raised for 8-10 months before being sold, weighing from 1 - 1.5 kg/rat.

Each bamboo rat can be sold commercially to restaurants and eateries after about 8 to 10 months of raising, weighing 1-1.5kg, priced from 600,000 - 800,000 VND/kg.

Currently, farmer Nguyen The Tam's bamboo rat farm has more than 400 rats. Each year, Mr. Tam's bamboo rat farm sells 200 pairs of breeding bamboo rats, 150kg of bamboo rat meat, earning more than 300 million VND, after deducting expenses.

Exporting breeding rats for breeding. Photo: TL

A model of a typical bamboo rat farm that many people visit and learn from. Photo: TL

Raising bamboo rats is… play, real food

Farmer Nguyen Tan Minh (permanent resident of Phu Thanh quarter, Tan Phu ward, Dong Xoai city) - one of the three households that received the loan mentioned above - said: "Raising bamboo rats does not require land, the cages must be large and spacious... Just 100 square meters is enough to set up a cage to raise bamboo rats".

Indeed, with more than 100 square meters of land, Mr. Minh used large ceramic tiles, joined together into squares, 60cm x 60cm, to form 50 cages for raising bamboo rats.

Mr. Minh added that the main food sources for the bamboo rats are bamboo and sugarcane - two types of plants commonly grown in Binh Phuoc and available in Mr. Minh's family garden. Therefore, it does not cost much, but still ensures a food source for raising bamboo rats.

"In the natural environment, bamboo rats are increasingly scarce, so the price of bamboo rats for breeding and commercial purposes is quite high. Currently, bamboo rats are quite expensive, about 4 million VND/breeding pair and commercial bamboo rats are priced from 900,000 - 1 million VND/kg.

My family's bamboo rats reproduce after about 7-8 months. They give birth to 3 litters a year, from 3-5 babies/litter. The babies can be separated from their mother after 2.5-3 months, and can be sold for breeding after about 3-5 months," said Mr. Minh.

Ms. Pham Thi Yen Linh - President of Dong Xoai City Farmers' Association (left) and farmer Nguyen Tan Minh (right) at Minh's bamboo rat farm. Photo: HND

Raising bamboo rats is a real job; it even helps farmers from poverty to prosperity. A typical example is farmer Hoang Van Hop (Tay ethnic group, permanent resident of Phu Van commune, Bu Gia Map district, Binh Phuoc province).

Breeding bamboo rats are waiting to be delivered to customers. Photo: TL

For many years, Mr. Hop's family was poor. Three years ago, with a loan of 100 million VND from the Social Policy Bank, Mr. Hop built a cage and bought breeding bamboo rats.

Since then, with 200 bamboo rats regularly kept in cages, Mr. Hop's family has earned more than 400 million VND/year, after deducting expenses. Thanks to raising bamboo rats, Mr. Hop's family has escaped poverty and has a stable income.

Not only Mr. Hop, Mr. Quach Van Thach (resident of Loc Quang commune, Loc Ninh district) is also famous, a "notorious" bamboo rat farmer in Binh Phuoc province.

Mr. Thach said: "With a 50m2 self-built cage, he raises about 50 bamboo rats. The bamboo rats are raised for about 8 months, can be sold, and weigh about 1.4kg when sold. The profit from the bamboo rat cage is 200 - 300 million VND per year, which is normal. Raising bamboo rats is very leisurely, it's fun, and it's really profitable."

Source: https://danviet.vn/nuoi-dui-la-liet-o-chuong-toi-ban-con-dong-vat-hoang-da-nay-gia-cao-nong-dan-binh-phuoc-giau-len-2024103121331534.htm