Get rich by raising black apple snails

Article and photos: CHUNG CUONG

For the past 2 years, Nguyen Tan Anh in Thoi Thanh B hamlet, Truong Xuan B commune, Thoi Lai district has invested in raising black apple snails. The model has initially brought about results, helping Tan Anh increase his family's income.

Mr. Tan Anh harvests black apple snails.

Previously, Tan Anh's family farmed and gardened and often caught natural black apple snails in the garden to sell. In mid-2021, Tan Anh saw that there were a lot of snails in the garden, so he tried raising them in 700 square meters of water. Tan Anh went to Hau Giang province to buy 8kg of snail seeds to raise. He gathered the snails in certain areas for easy management and monitoring; and raised more water fern as food for the snails. Tan Anh often went on social networks to learn about how to raise snails as well as effective black apple snail farming models. After 7 months, Tan Anh sold his first batch of snails, at a price of 45,000 VND/kg. "I sold about a dozen kilos to a broker every day. At first, I only thought of raising snails to take advantage of the water surface area in the garden, increasing my family's income, but I didn't think I would start a business with this model. After a while, I realized that the price of snails was quite stable, so I decided to do big business...", Tan Anh said.

Tan Anh spent about 3 months researching the habits of black apple snails as well as methods for raising snails with high productivity. One year after releasing the first batch of snails, Tan Anh invested nearly 100 million VND to convert 6 hectares of rice fields into a pond to raise snails. On the water surface, Tan Anh raises water fern and water lilies to both feed and create shade for the snails. Every day, he pumps water into and out of the pond so that the snails can grow and develop well. According to Tan Anh, if the water source is changed regularly, the snails will grow faster. Snails raised in the garden can only be sold after 7 months, but those raised in ponds dug from the fields can be harvested after about 5.5-6 months. Currently, Tan Anh only spends about 1 million VND/month on buying oil to pump water into the pond, and he uses water fern, water lily leaves, etc. for the snails' food.

Every day, Tan Anh harvests 15-20kg of snails, selling them to traders for 45,000 VND/kg. According to Tan Anh, when the snails reach 35-40 snails/kg, they can be harvested because the larger the snails, the more they will be lost. Because he raises snails on a large area, Tan Anh learned the technique of hatching snail eggs to create breeds. In addition, Tan Anh sells snail eggs for 600,000 VND/kg to black apple snail farmers in the localities. Tan Anh shared: “I think this is an economic model suitable for union members and young people in rural areas. Because raising snails does not cost much, snails can be raised on a small area of land and there are always buyers, so there is no fear of “a good harvest but low prices”.

According to Mr. Tran Minh Thiet, Secretary of the Truong Xuan B Commune Youth Union, the black snail farming model of Mr. Nguyen Tan Anh is an effective economic model among the commune's Youth Union members. The model helps create jobs for 5 commune Youth Union members through snail harvesting, transporting duckweed, renovating farming ponds, etc. The Truong Xuan B Commune Youth Union has supported Mr. Tan Anh to borrow 50 million VND from the Social Policy Bank to expand the model. Mr. Nguyen Tan Anh regularly shares his experience in raising black snails with Youth Union members inside and outside the commune. Not only is he good at economics, for the past 6 years, Mr. Tan Anh has been an exemplary Hamlet Youth Union Secretary, enthusiastic in the work of the Youth Union and the youth movement in the locality.

Source link