The way out of poverty from snail farming model

TPO - From small snail ponds, Mr. Dinh Van Hau has developed 12 snail ponds with tens of thousands of snails. The snail farming model is considered to be developing well, and is expected to help households escape poverty and develop the economy in the near future.

Every morning, Mr. Dinh Van Hau (residing in Toan Thang block, Mai Hung ward, Hoang Mai town, Nghe An ) goes out to check the water level and the health of the snails before continuing his daily work. "The most important thing in raising snails is the water source. We have to monitor regularly to know the PH level, salinity, and alum contamination, then adjust appropriately so that the snails can grow well and not get sick," Mr. Hau said about his snail farm model.

Mr. Hau grows duckweed in snail ponds to both provide food and create a living environment for snails to grow well. (Photo: Phuc Thanh).

Starting in 2022, Mr. Hau saw a lot of information shared about the success of black snail farming models, so he also tried to learn. After a period of consulting models inside and outside the province, Mr. Hau boldly borrowed capital and converted the area near the downstream into black snail farming ponds.

At first, Mr. Hau bought snails from local people caught in the fields to raise. Because the snail breed was not guaranteed and he had no experience, the snails grew slowly and had low productivity. Not discouraged, Mr. Hau continued to research sources of breeds and care techniques to "start over".

With the spirit of perseverance, hard work and eagerness to learn, Mr. Hau has gradually succeeded with his black snail farming model. From small ponds, Mr. Hau has renovated and expanded to dozens of ponds with separate areas such as breeding ponds, breeding ponds, and commercial snail farming areas.

Each year, Mr. Hau's snail farming model earns a profit of about 180 million VND. (Photo: Phuc Thanh).

According to Mr. Hau, black apple snails are not “fussy” and the cost of raising and caring for them is low. However, farmers need to have knowledge to help snails grow quickly, in which water source is very important, helping snails grow well.

“The technique of raising black apple snails is not too complicated, the most important thing is that the water source is clean, not contaminated with acidity or salt. The water for raising snails usually has a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. For snails to grow well, the water in the pond must be regularly pumped in and out to create a natural environment. The best density is about 100 - 120 snails/m2. At first, the young snails are raised in mesh trays, and after about 1.5 months, they are released into the duckweed pond. The garden pond must be planted with duckweed to cool the water surface, at the same time, creating an ideal environment for snails to grow and be a food source for snails,” said Mr. Hau, adding that snails' food is mainly vegetables, moss, and easy-to-find fruits and vegetables. From releasing the young snails to harvest is about 3.5 - 4 months for meat snails. To raise snails for reproduction, it takes another 1 to 2 months.

To proactively produce seeds and supply the market, Mr. Hau uses 6 ponds to raise commercial snails. The remaining ponds are used to raise snails for breeding and hatching eggs. "Black apple snails reproduce all year round, but if left to reproduce naturally, the hatching rate is low. To have a quality source of seeds, I have to collect eggs every day and put them in separate incubators. For the eggs to develop well, I have to regularly check and adjust the temperature, spray water to keep the incubator at the right humidity," Mr. Hau added.

With the stable price of commercial snails at 80,000 - 100,000 VND/kg of snail meat, each year Mr. Hau earns a profit of about 180 million VND after deducting expenses. In addition, every year Mr. Hau also has income from selling young snails.

The snail farming model is considered to be developing well and will help local people escape poverty in the coming time.

From Mr. Hau’s initial success, many local people came to learn and build a farming model. Whenever someone came to learn, Mr. Hau enthusiastically shared and was ready to provide breeds and guide care techniques.

The local government assessed that the commercial snail farming and snail seed production model of Mr. Hau's family is an easy model to do, does not require much capital but brings in a good source of income. Many households in Mai Hung ward, Quynh Trang commune (Hoang Mai town) are strongly developing the snail farming model. This is considered a good model, which will help people in the area to escape poverty, gradually develop the family and local economy in the coming time.

Ngoc Tu

Source: https://tienphong.vn/huong-di-thoat-ngheo-tu-mo-hinh-nuoi-oc-post1753050.tpo