Expanding the black snail farming model in earthen ponds.

In an effort to diversify crops and livestock, farmers in the two districts of Cat Tien and Da Teh have added black snails to their list of economically viable livestock. With suitable temperatures and soil conditions, black snails are demonstrating significant potential and economic value.

Raising black snails at the home of Mr. Dinh Van Cuong, Gia Vien commune, Cat Tien district.

Mr. Dinh Van Cuong, a farmer from Van Minh village, Gia Vien commune, Cat Tien district, is beginning the season of selling black snail eggs. This is a relatively new livestock for Mr. Cuong, as well as for farmers in Van Minh village, Gia Vien commune. He said that in 2023, the Farmers' Association encouraged his family to experiment with raising black snails. Initially, he released 13,000 small snail hatchlings. After 6 months of raising them, the snails matured, and he had both marketable and breeding snails. Mr. Cuong commented: "Previously, my family's pond was used to raise tilapia. However, the cost of feed was high, and the income was low, so when the Farmers' Association encouraged us to switch to raising snails, my family decided to try it. Personally, I think raising snails is more efficient, requires less labor, utilizes food found around the garden, and doesn't cost much in terms of feed."

According to Mr. Dinh Van Cuong, black snails are very easy to feed. They eat all sorts of things like cassava leaves, rotten fruit, water lily leaves, etc., that grow in the pond. Farmers don't need to do much care; the important thing is to keep the water clean for the snails to thrive. Mr. Cuong's family pond has natural water flowing from the headwaters of Cat Tien National Park. Therefore, the clean water helps the black snails stay healthy and grow quickly. Mr. Dinh Van Cuong also plants water hyacinth on the pond to filter the water and create a cool, humid environment for the snails to develop. He said that besides harvesting snails for commercial purposes, black snails can also reproduce to sell their eggs. Simply, farmers just need to plant a wooden stake on the pond surface for the snails to crawl up and lay their eggs. Then, they collect the eggs and put them in a styrofoam container to hatch the baby snails.

Currently, there is a high demand for black snails. Mr. Dinh Van Cuong is selling black snails at 60,000 VND/kg to people in the surrounding area. The snails are harvested at approximately 20 snails per kilogram. As for the snail eggs, 1 kg contains about 8,000 snails and costs 70,000 VND. He said that many families with ponds buy black snail breeding stock to improve their family meals.

Similarly to Mr. Dinh Van Cuong, Mr. Nguyen Van Thong, from Hamlet 4, Quang Tri Commune, Da Teh District, shared that his family's snail pond is also providing a stable income. Previously, his family mainly raised carp and tilapia in earthen ponds, but the economic efficiency was not satisfactory due to the rising price of feed. Later, with support from the Farmers' Association, he started raising two cages of apple snails. Currently, his family's snail pond has expanded, providing a more stable income than fish farming. According to Mr. Thong, raising apple snails is simple; the feed utilizes readily available materials, so the cost of care is almost negligible. In particular, apple snails only require a one-time investment in breeding stock, after which they self-replicate, making it suitable for the practical conditions of rural people who already have ponds or lakes.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Luu, Vice Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Gia Vien commune, Cat Tien district, said that in 2023, Cat Tien implemented a pilot project to raise black snails in several households. The results showed that the black snail is very suitable for the weather and climate of Cat Tien, grows quickly, has low mortality rates, and provides stable economic efficiency. In 2024, Cat Tien will increase support for farmers to raise black snails with a cost of 30 million VND per model. Currently, six households in Gia Vien commune alone have registered. Mr. Nguyen Dinh Luu commented that black snails are still a new livestock for the people of Cat Tien. However, the development of these models shows that this is a highly economically efficient livestock. Diversifying livestock on the same pond area will help farmers increase their income while meeting market demand.

According to Mr. Tran Hung Cuong, Chairman of the Da Teh District Farmers' Association, since 2021, the district has supported the pilot implementation of black snail farming in several households in Quoc Oai, An Nhon, Quang Tri, and Da Lay communes. To date, these models have developed well, yielding high efficiency and being expanded by many farming households. Mr. Cuong assessed that black snails are suitable for the rural environment of Da Teh, and farmers quickly adapt to the farming techniques, achieving good results. However, farmers are still concerned about market demand when they raise more snails and increase production. Mr. Cuong believes that the market demand for black snails is very broad, and when production reaches high levels, there will be large-scale outlets. Diversifying livestock with black snails will help Da Teh farmers increase their income from existing pond areas.

Source