Prospects of sturgeon farming in Van Yen

>> Sturgeon farming - a new direction for Mong Na Hau people

>> Cold water fish farming in the highlands of Yen Bai

>> Raising sturgeon is no longer too difficult for Yen Bai people

>> Awakening the potential of Na Hau commercial sturgeon

Promoting natural advantages

Na Hau commune is the leading locality in developing the sturgeon farming model in Van Yen district. Located at an average altitude of 600 - 700m above sea level, with a cool climate all year round and clean water from streams, this place is considered to have ideal conditions for sturgeon to develop. In 2017, Mr. Giang A Chau, Trung Tam village - one of the first households brought 100 sturgeon fry from Sa Pa ( Lao Cai ) to try raising. After the first successful crop, he expanded the scale and mobilized people to participate.

By 2019, Na Hau Agricultural and Tourism Cooperative was established with 13 members. The Cooperative has proactively linked with units, including the Institute of Research, Application and Development, Hung Vuong University to receive and transfer sturgeon farming techniques.

Currently, the cooperative maintains nearly 30 tanks of various types with a quantity of about 10,000 sturgeon per batch. Each year, the output reaches over 20 tons of commercial fish, the selling price is stable at 180,000 - 250,000 VND/kg; estimated revenue reaches billions of VND/year, creating regular jobs for many local workers; at the same time, opening a new direction for the Mong people in Na Hau in the journey of sustainable poverty reduction. Currently, in Na Hau commune, there are dozens of households raising sturgeon with stable income and a prosperous economic life.

Spread the model to many localities

Not only in Na Hau, Dai Son commune is also a bright spot in the development of sturgeon farming. Among them, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan - a household in Lang Bang village has become a typical example. After a period of visiting and learning from models in the northern provinces, she invested in a modern farming tank system, ensuring a stable water temperature of 18 - 21 degrees Celsius. Currently, each year she raises 40,000 - 50,000 fish, yielding dozens of tons of commercial fish.

Ms. Lan shared: "Sturgeon is an adaptable species if the farmer masters the technique. The most important thing is that the water source must be clean and cold. Sturgeon is currently favored by restaurants and hotels, so the output is quite favorable."

Not only helping the family economy develop, Ms. Lan's model is also a place for local people to visit and learn from experience. Some households in the commune have also started investing in small-scale sturgeon farming. Sturgeon farming models in Van Yen have contributed to diversifying agricultural production, significantly improving people's lives. Many households have switched from farming to developing aquaculture. From there, they have a stable income, gradually rising out of poverty.

According to Mr. Dang Ton Sinh - Vice Chairman of Dai Son Commune People's Committee, sturgeon farming is not only an effective economic model but also contributes to changing production thinking, gradually helping ethnic minorities in the highlands approach new economic practices. Therefore, in the coming time, the locality will continue to promote and raise people's awareness of forest and water resource protection, creating favorable conditions for sturgeon farming households to develop their economy.

Difficulties, challenges and development prospects

Although developing positively, sturgeon farming in Van Yen also faces many challenges. First of all, it requires high technical requirements, requiring farmers to have knowledge, experience and strictly adhere to conditions regarding temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen in water. In addition, the initial investment cost is relatively high, from building tanks, water filtration systems, aerators to breeding fish, all have high costs. Meanwhile, the output for the product is not really stable, depending heavily on traders or large restaurants...

However, with increasingly active support from local authorities, scientific organizations and businesses, sturgeon farming in Van Yen is still considered a potential development direction. If the locality soon builds a production - consumption chain, and at the same time diversifies processed products from sturgeon, this model will certainly develop sustainably, reach out to large markets, contributing to the goal of sustainable agricultural development associated with new rural construction.

Hong Oanh

Source: https://baoyenbai.com.vn/12/349244/Trien-vong-nghe-nuoi-ca-tam-o-Van-Yen.aspx