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| Lizards are easy to raise because their main food source is various kinds of root vegetables and fruit scraps. |
Specific livelihood models
Hoa Thuy village is considered one of the "capitals" of monitor lizard farming in the country, supplying monitor lizard meat and breeding stock to many provinces and cities. According to local people, initially, people only hunted wild monitor lizards for family consumption or small-scale sales. Because it was considered a delicacy, the market demand for monitor lizard meat increased significantly, so from the 2000s onwards, people began experimenting with raising monitor lizards, gradually developing it into a profession and forming a concentrated monitor lizard farming area.
Mr. Nguyen Van Phuoc, a long-time monitor lizard breeder in Hoa Thuy village, said that monitor lizards are reptiles that adapt well to hot, dry climates and are less susceptible to disease. His family raises about 2,000 monitor lizards on an area of more than 1 sao (approximately 1000 square meters), divided into 4 breeding pens. Their food mainly consists of readily available agricultural by-products in the locality such as water spinach, various root and fruit scraps, and leaves, so the breeding costs are quite low. The breeding pens are simply constructed, with walls about 0.8-1 meter high and deep foundations to prevent the lizards from escaping. Inside, dry branches are placed to create natural shade, covered with sand, and mounds of earth are made for the lizards to dig burrows, forage, and grow. In addition, female monitor lizards only breed on sandy soil with low cohesion, which is very suitable for the local soil. Every year, around October, the monitor lizards dig deep burrows under the sand to lay their eggs. Each hen lays 5 to 10 eggs, depending on her body weight, and the eggs hatch after about 45 days...
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| A local family's gecko breeding area. |
Mr. Nguyen Van Tam's family (Hoa Thuy village) currently raises about 10,000 monitor lizards of various types, supplying both commercial monitor lizards to restaurants and selling breeding stock to people inside and outside the province. Currently, meat monitor lizards are priced at 600,000 - 800,000 VND/kg, and breeding monitor lizards at 500,000 - 600,000 VND/kg. Each month, his family sells about 10kg of commercial monitor lizards, not including breeding stock, providing a stable income. Mr. Tam shared that thanks to the year-round hot climate and dry sandy soil, the monitor lizards are very active and frequently dig burrows, resulting in firmer, more fragrant, and sweeter meat compared to monitor lizards raised in areas with high humidity. Monitor lizard meat is white like chicken meat, with soft, crispy bones, and can be prepared into many dishes such as salads, patties, and grilled with chili and salt… Therefore, Ninh Phuoc sand monitor lizards are popular in the Ho Chi Minh City market. Ho Chi Minh City , Da Nang, Lam Dong, Dong Nai, Can Tho... are popular.
After many years of raising them, most households in Hoa Thuy village have become self-sufficient in breeding stock, significantly reducing production costs. Lizards raised for about a year can be sold commercially, mainly male lizards, while females are kept for breeding; high-quality young lizards are selected for breeding. Many families also combine raising wild rabbits in the same area, utilizing the existing enclosures to increase economic efficiency thanks to the comparable selling price of lizard meat.
Building the brand "Hoa Thuy - Ninh Phuoc sand dunes"
Currently, the market for commercially farmed sand lizards is quite stable, mainly consumed through restaurants, specialty shops, and traders. However, farmers hope that the local authorities will continue to support market expansion and build a sustainable consumption chain to ensure stable output and avoid the risk of product oversupply as the scale of farming continues to grow.
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| The people of Hoa Thuy village have a stable income from raising monitor lizards. |
According to Mr. Do Thanh Nhut, Head of the Economic Department of Ninh Phuoc commune, sand lizard farming is a unique livelihood model closely linked to the natural conditions and the ingenuity of the local people. Currently, the locality has 67 households raising sand lizards, supplying more than 3 tons of commercial sand lizards to the market each year. On average, each household earns about 50 million VND/year from sand lizard farming, contributing to the transformation of the production structure and effectively utilizing sandy land for sustainable economic development.
To develop sand lizard farming in a sustainable manner, the local authorities have focused on implementing key solutions such as establishing a sand lizard farming cooperative to standardize technical procedures and share high-quality breeding stock. Simultaneously, they are gradually building a consumption chain with restaurants and hotels in Nha Trang, Cam Ranh, and other locations, helping to create a stable market for farmers and reduce dependence on intermediaries.
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| Raising monitor lizards is well-suited to the climate and soil conditions of Ninh Phuoc commune. |
In the coming time, the locality will continue to standardize the breeding process towards biosafety, control feed sources, maintain hygiene in barns, and encourage people to proactively grow drought-resistant vegetables as feed for sand lizards to reduce production costs. At the same time, the locality will plan concentrated breeding areas on barren, unproductive sandy land, avoiding spontaneous development that affects the landscape or encroaches on other planned land. “In particular, Ninh Phuoc commune is building the brand "Hoa Thuy - Ninh Phuoc Sand Lizard" to enhance the value and reputation of the product in the market; diversifying products towards deep processing, ready-to-eat processing, or other value-added products to easily access supermarkets, specialty stores, and transport to distant locations. The locality also aims to combine the development of experiential tourism associated with visiting sand lizard breeding models and enjoying specialties, thereby expanding markets and increasing income for people,” Mr. Nhut said.
HOANG DUC
Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/kinh-te/202607/dac-san-vung-dat-cat-80a78f1/
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