Raising spotted deer, which are wild animals, Ninh Thuan farmers cut off velvet to sell and become rich

The largest deer farm in Ninh Thuan

One day in early September, Dan Viet reporter had the opportunity to visit the mountainous commune of Hoa Son, Ninh Son district, Ninh Thuan province to see the deer farm of Mr. Nguyen Huu Trung in Tan Hoa village. This is considered the first and largest deer farm in Ninh Thuan.

Spotted deer farm in mountainous district of Ninh Son, Ninh Thuan. Photo: Duc Cuong

The entire deer farm is nearly 3 hectares wide, with both a well-built barn and grass grown for closed-loop farming.

Taking us on a tour of a deer farm with dozens of deer in the strong development stage, Mr. Nguyen Huu Trung (44 years old) proudly showed off the results after nearly 2 years of investing in raising deer for velvet.

Mr. Trung said that 2 years ago he invested more than 500 million VND to build a barn to raise 10 pairs of deer imported from the northern provinces.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Trung, a successful farmer with a model of raising specialty animals and licensed wild animals, stands with a herd of spotted deer at a farm in Hoa Son commune, Ninh Son district, Ninh Thuan province. Photo: Duc Cuong.

With the characteristics of being easy to raise and having few diseases, the deer herd develops very quickly. The female deer are raised freely to reproduce and develop the herd. The male deer are cared for in separate cages to collect velvet for economic development.

According to Mr. Trung, in the northern provinces, there is a clear difference in temperature, hot in the summer and cold in the winter, so it takes a lot of effort to take care of them. In Ninh Thuan, the climate is warm and sunny all year round, so deer are often harvested earlier (about 8 months later) than in the North.

"Deer raised for about 2 years will start to produce velvet, but because the deer is still young, the velvet is small. Deer raised for 5-7 years will reach maturity and will produce large and quality velvet. From the time the velvet opens to about 45 days, it will reach the standard for harvest. If left longer, the velvet will lose value because it will age...", said Mr. Trung.

A male deer is kept in captivity for its velvet antlers. Sika deer are wild animals so they are easy to raise... Photo: Duc Cuong

According to Mr. Trung, to save on livestock costs, he makes use of agricultural by-products and grows grass to ensure a source of green food. He takes good care of male deer during the antler-producing period to improve the quality of harvested antlers.

"Compared to raising cows, the amount of food for deer each day is only 1/4. Deer only eat twice a day, morning and afternoon. Especially, when deer have antlers, they need to be supplemented with food with high starch content so that the antlers reach high weight and can be sold for a good price...", said Mr. Trung.

In addition to harvesting antlers from male deer, female deer also bring in a fairly high income from breeding for breeding and meat sales. Deer breeds are sold in pairs (about 50 million/pair), while meat deer is purchased by the market at a stable price of 200,000 - 250,000/kg.

Currently, Mr. Trung's deer farm has 43 deer, the first and also the largest deer farm in Ninh Thuan. Photo: Duc Cuong

Licensed wildlife farming - a new direction for Ninh Thuan farmers

Currently, the number of deer of Mr. Nguyen Huu Trung has increased to 43, of which 25 males are in the period of antler exploitation.

Deer adapt and grow well when raised in sunny Ninh Thuan. Photo: Duc Cuong

"Thanks to favorable climate conditions, the deer are well cared for and grow, so every 8 months we cut the velvet once (3 times in 2 years). Each pair of deer velvet after harvest weighs from 800 grams - 1.2 kg, sold at an average price of 15 million VND/kg. A deer raised for velvet brings in an income of 15 million VND/year...", said Mr. Trung.

Deer velvet is harvested about every 8 months. Photo: Duc Cuong

According to Mr. Trung, if he knows how to process health-supporting products from deer antlers, his income will increase even more. Currently, Mr. Trung has "launched" 3 more products processed from deer antlers such as: Deer antlers sliced ​​and soaked in honey for 1.6 million VND/100gr; Dried antlers cut into powder for 4.5 million VND/100gr jar and lotus seed antlers for 1.2 million VND/100gr jar.

Last March, Mr. Nguyen Huu Trung boldly established Song Dau Deer Antler Breeding and Processing Company Limited.

In the coming time, Mr. Trung will continue to expand the scale, and is willing to impart deer farming experience to households in need. "This is a new breed of livestock in Ninh Thuan that brings high and long-term economic efficiency to farmers. Therefore, I hope to connect with more households, support quality breeding sources for people to develop the economy together, promote Ninh Thuan deer antler products to the market...", Mr. Trung said.

Products processed from deer antlers of NHH company raising and processing deer antlers of Song Dau. Photo: Duc Cuong

Talking to Dan Viet reporter, Mr. Nguyen Van Hai, Vice Chairman in charge of Hoa Son Commune People's Committee, Ninh Son District (Ninh Thuan) said that Nguyen Huu Trung's deer farming model is a new model in the locality.

Although the investment capital is quite high, it initially brings more economic efficiency than raising cows, goats, sheep, etc. Besides, because it does not take much time to care for, breeders can still implement many economic models at the same time.

In the near future, if people have demand, the locality will also cooperate with Mr. Nguyen Huu Trung to organize more sessions to share experiences and farming techniques for people to develop the local economy.

Source: https://danviet.vn/nuoi-huou-sao-von-la-dong-vat-hoang-da-nong-dan-ninh-thuan-cat-nhung-ban-ma-giau-han-len-20240912193420949.htm