Cage fish farm recovers after historic storm, ready to serve Tet

The historic Typhoon Yagi left many fish cage farmers in Hai Duong empty-handed. After months of efforts to overcome the consequences of Typhoon No. 3, the fish cages are now gradually recovering.

Life returns to the river

Along the banks of the Thai Binh River flowing through Hai Duong province, the current scene is completely different from the days after storm No. 3 (Yagi) passed through.

Instead of the image of hundreds of ruined and dilapidated fish cages, now there is the scene of people busily taking care of the fish cages.

People are excited to raise fish in cages again.

Fish such as carp, red tilapia, catfish... are being raised healthy to meet the market demand for Tet At Ty.

Mr. Dinh Ba Ha, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Thai Tan Commune, Nam Sach District, said that the whole commune had up to 70 fish cages that were sunk or severely damaged. Immediately after the storm, people quickly restored production. To date, about 430 fish cages have resumed operations.

"The relatively favorable weather since the storm, combined with increased fish prices, has created great motivation for people to continue raising fish with peace of mind," said Mr. Ha.

Mr. Hoang Dinh Chinh, a fish farmer in Mac Binh village, Thai Tan commune, shared: "The water source after the flood is cleaner, the fish have less diseases. My family has restored 42 fish cages, of which 25 cages will be sold during Tet. With a selling price of 115,000 - 120,000 VND/kg, each fish cage brings in a profit of about 50 million VND."

Similarly, in Ha Thanh commune - the largest cage fish farming area in Tu Ky district with nearly 600 cages, many households have now recovered production and sold fish at higher prices than before.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhan in Huu Chung village shared that her family sold 4 cages of grass carp at a better price after the storm, giving her more motivation to continue investing in 9 cages of fish expected to be sold during Tet.

"After the storm and flood, cage fish were scarce and the selling price was higher than before, so people were excited. The weather during this period was favorable and the river water was cleaner, so the restoration of the cage fish farming area is going quite well," said Pham Xuan Thuc, Chairman of the People's Committee of Ha Thanh Commune.

Support from government and businesses

Natural disasters not only cause property loss but also cause many fish cage farming households in Hai Duong to face difficult economic problems. Mr. Nguyen Van Tuu in An Thuong commune, Hai Duong city said that the storm swept away all 8 fish cages of his family, causing damage of more than 1 billion VND.

With no more collateral, he had to borrow from acquaintances to temporarily restore two fish cages.

Many cage fish farmers want to extend bank debt and investment capital.

"I just hope the bank will create conditions to postpone debt, reduce interest rates and expand loan sources so that the farming profession can be rebuilt," said Mr. Tuu.

Similarly, Mr. Do Danh Chuc in Minh Tan commune, Nam Sach district, had to spend about 700 million VND to repair and replace damaged fish cages. However, he still could not restore them to their original state due to lack of capital.

"If the bank considers expanding loans based on mortgaged assets, we will have more conditions to renovate facilities and pay for animal feed," Mr. Chuc shared.

To help people quickly restore production, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Hai Duong has actively coordinated with businesses supplying seeds and animal feed.

Cargill Vietnam and HAID Hai Duong have provided 2 million tilapia fry, 10 tons of animal feed and nearly VND20 million in cash to the people. Some agents have also implemented a debt extension policy and reduced prices by VND5,000-7,000 per bag of animal feed.

However, the price of feed is still high, about 440 thousand VND/package for immediate payment and 460 thousand VND/package for deferred payment, creating great pressure on farming households.

Mr. Dao Minh Thiem, Chairman of the Ha Thanh Commune Cage Fish Association, proposed: "The State should have a policy to stabilize animal feed prices, and at the same time encourage businesses to extend payment times to reduce difficulties for people."

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/vua-ca-long-vuc-day-sau-bao-lich-su-san-sang-phuc-vu-tet-192241209204107908.htm