A young man born in the 1990s "awakens" the land of Dai Loi.

(Baothanhhoa.vn) - After many years working abroad and returning to his hometown, Vu Van Hiep, a young man born in the 1990s, was always pondering how to develop his economy. Then, noticing the scarcity of snails in fields and ponds, while demand was increasing, in 2019, Hiep boldly converted his family's unproductive rice land to snail farming.

Mr. Vu Van Hiep (on the right in the photo) shares his experience on the snail farming model.

Recalling his early days as an entrepreneur, Hiep shared: “As the first person in the commune to develop this model, my relatives and neighbors had many conflicting opinions, and some even concluded that raising apple snails couldn't lead to a prosperous life . But I still had faith in this model because apple snails have good resistance, grow quickly, have low feed costs, and relatively high market prices, so I wanted to try raising them with the mindset of learning as I go.”

With capital accumulated from years of working abroad and loans from relatives, Vu Van Hiep began renovating his snail farming pond. Thanks to good pond hygiene, environmental treatment with lime and probiotics, and to keep the snails cool in the summer and warm in the winter, he also planted some plants like water hyacinth, algae, and water lilies to create a natural environment. During the farming process, he diversified the snails' diet to ensure proper nutrition, mainly using duckweed, vegetables, fruits, and floating food sources. He also regularly monitored the water temperature and pH to ensure stable snail growth. After each harvest, the ponds, water sources, and environment were cleaned and restored to ensure cleanliness.

When the snail farming model provided a stable income, Mr. Hiep decided to expand the scale by leasing similar land areas from other households in the village. The farm was expanded to about 5,000 square meters with a complete system of ponds, breeding tanks, and reproduction tanks. Currently, the family raises 2 to 3 crops per year.

After some research, he discovered that the local bamboo tube resources were abundant and decided to experiment with making snail patties stuffed in bamboo tubes. The product, with its distinctive bamboo tube aroma, the rich, sweet, and savory taste of snails and other ingredients, captivated customers from the very first days of its launch. Hiep Thu's snail patties stuffed in bamboo tubes have now been recognized as a 3-star OCOP product in 2023.

In addition, he researched and created many products from stuffed snails such as shelled stuffed snails, fried snail patties, and snails wrapped in betel leaves. Products such as Hiep Thu's bamboo tube stuffed snail patties and shelled stuffed snails have been certified for origin, labeling, and traceability, so they are widely consumed in restaurants, hotels, and clean food stores in the province, and are highly appreciated by consumers.

Not only has Mr. Hiep enriched himself, but he is also willing to share his experience with many people in and outside the commune who want to develop a snail farming model. Currently, he is collaborating with several snail farmers in Ha Trung district to purchase all the commercial snails for processing. His family's total annual revenue is estimated at 700-800 million VND, with a profit of over 400 million VND after deducting expenses. In addition, his family provides regular employment for 5 local workers with an income of 4 million VND/person/month.

Young man Vu Van Hiep's snail farming model has effectively exploited the local potential, opening up a new direction for developing high-value specialty livestock farming for his family and local people.

Text and photos: Trung Hieu

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/chang-trai-9x-danh-thuc-vung-dat-dai-loi-251753.htm