Integrated livestock farming model

In Vinh Linh district, from the movement "Youth start-up, career", in recent times, more and more "millionaires" have appeared at a very young age. Each example is a story, a dream, a separate path to start a business. But in general, they all have a burning desire to rise up, not accepting poverty, determined to get rich in their homeland. One of them is Mr. Nguyen Dang Phi (born in 1990), Binh An village, Vinh Chap commune. With dynamism and constant efforts, Phi has built a comprehensive livestock farm with high economic efficiency.

Integrated livestock farming model - reduce risks, increase profits

Mr. Nguyen Dang Phi feeds fish - Photo: MH

We visited Phi's farm, witnessed the results with our own eyes and heard about his career journey, and understood his diligence and determination. Phi was born and raised in a rural area with many difficulties, his childhood was closely associated with the fields, so he always determined to study hard to have the opportunity to change his life.

In 2008, Phi was admitted to the University of Water Resources. Due to his family's difficult circumstances, to cover his tuition fees, he had to both study and work. In 2012, after graduating with honors, he was accepted to work at the Quang Tri Road Company.

He said: “At that time, my salary was quite high, but living far from home, there were many expenses to cover, so I couldn’t save. Therefore, in 2016, I returned to my hometown to find a way to develop the economy. After a period of research, I thought my family had a large land fund, which was convenient for large-scale livestock farming, so I discussed with my parents to borrow capital to open a farm.

At first, my parents did not support me because they thought that raising livestock required a large investment while I had no experience and was afraid of the risk. However, after much persuasion and seeing my determination, my parents agreed.

In June 2016, with a loan of 300 million VND, he started to implement his plan. On a total area of 1 hectare of ineffective rice fields, he planned to create 8 ponds to raise various species such as snakehead fish, catfish, and frogs. In addition, he also raised 100 pigs and 500 chickens per batch.

“ Agriculture is very risky, depending on many factors such as the environment, diseases, unstable consumption markets, and diverse consumer needs. Therefore, I choose to raise multiple animals to both increase income and reduce risks,” Phi shared.

Up to this point, his model of raising snakehead fish in cement tanks lined with canvas and raising frogs is the only model in Vinh Chap commune. In particular, for snakehead fish farming, each year, about 100,000 fish are released for breeding, cared for for 7 months, when the fish reach a weight of 0.7 - 1 kg/fish, they will be sold at 56,000 VND/kg.

In the 2023 crop, he sold 20 tons of fish, earning a profit of 140 million VND. For frogs, he chose the Thai frog breed because this is a species with economic value, fast growth, and delicious meat. Regarding farming techniques, he built boards on the water surface and surrounded them with nets called stages, each stage is about 4 x 5m in size, with a stocking density of 80-100 frogs/m2.

Every year, there are 2 farming seasons, each season releasing about 20,000 frogs. The farming period is from March to August every year. After 3 months of care, they can be sold for 45,000 VND/kg. In 2 farming seasons in 2023, he sold 3 tons of frogs. After deducting expenses, the profit is more than 90 million VND. In addition, to clean the environment in the frog ponds, he also releases 10,000 catfish.

Frog droppings are a daily food source for catfish, helping to reduce the amount of food consumed by the fish by 20%-30%. According to Mr. Phi, although catfish are sold at 15,000 VND/kg, each crop brings in a profit of about 30 million VND. This combined farming model shows clear effectiveness, both saving on fish food costs and contributing to cleaning the pond bottom, improving water sources, and protecting the environment.

Currently, the integrated farm brings Mr. Phi a profit of over 300 million VND/year.

“My livestock farm has been in stable production. This achievement is not only due to my own efforts but also the support from my family and friends. That is the source of encouragement for me to overcome difficulties and be determined to pursue the path I have chosen.

Recently, many people have come to visit the model to learn from its experience. I am also willing to share so that everyone can develop the economy together, enrich themselves and their homeland," Phi confided.

My Hang

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