Giant freshwater prawns, originally a species suited to freshwater environments, have been domesticated by local farmers and raised in brackish water, demonstrating good growth potential. According to farmers' experience, the outstanding advantages of giant freshwater prawns are their ease of cultivation, rapid growth, low susceptibility to disease, and quick adaptation to environmental conditions and water sources. Mr. Nguyen Van Minh, a farmer from Vinh Binh commune, said: “Previously, this area mainly cultivated rice and raised tiger prawns and whiteleg shrimp. Applying new production methods, intercropping giant freshwater prawns has yielded unexpected results. Currently, farmers can cultivate rice, giant freshwater prawns, whiteleg shrimp, and tiger prawns in the same area.”
Residents of Vinh Binh commune harvest freshwater prawns. Photo: THUY TIEN
In his spacious house, Mr. Le Van Kha, residing in Tan Phong hamlet, was overjoyed after a successful harvest of freshwater prawns and whiteleg shrimp. With an area of 10 hectares, Mr. Kha applied a two-stage farming method. Initially, the juveniles were released into a nursery pond for about two months to adapt to the environment before being released into the entire farming area. After about four months, he harvested a total of over 9 tons of shrimp, including more than 8 tons of freshwater prawns and the rest being whiteleg shrimp; earning a profit of over 500 million VND.
Sharing his experience, Mr. Kha said: “I’ve been raising shrimp for decades, and I’ve been raising giant freshwater prawns alongside whiteleg shrimp for over 10 years. Depending on the year, some years the whiteleg shrimp yield a good number of shrimp, and combined with the giant freshwater prawns, the production exceeds 10 tons per crop; each crop brings in a profit of about 500 million VND. Shrimp farming is 3-4 times more profitable than rice farming, so my family’s life is much better.”
For over 15 years, the family of Ms. Huynh Thi Hang, residing in Nuoc Chay hamlet, has converted more than 2 hectares of unproductive rice land to raising giant freshwater prawns alongside whiteleg shrimp and tiger shrimp. Thanks to this model, the family's life has gradually stabilized, and their children have had the opportunity to attend university, learn vocational skills, and find stable jobs. "Each year, my family raises three crops of prawns in a mixed farming system, harvesting about 2 tons of giant freshwater prawns and over 500 kg of whiteleg shrimp and tiger shrimp, with a profit of about 150 million VND," Ms. Hang said.
Each year, Vinh Binh commune has over 12,000 hectares of aquaculture area, with a total production of over 85,000 tons; of which, shrimp farming accounts for more than 61,000 hectares. Local farmers apply organic and bio-safe production processes, with two crops of giant freshwater prawns intercropped with whiteleg shrimp and tiger shrimp as recommended by the agricultural sector. The shrimp feed mainly consists of rice, snails, bait fish, bananas, and a portion of industrial feed; they also use probiotics to improve the water environment and do not use chemical pesticides.
According to many farmers in Vinh Binh commune, the reason for applying the shrimp-to-shrimp intercropping model is that the time from stocking to harvesting giant freshwater prawns is about 6 months. While waiting for harvest, farmers intercrop with whiteleg shrimp or tiger shrimp, as these only need about 3 months to harvest. Thanks to this, on the same area, farmers can harvest prawns 3 times within 6 months. After the prawn harvest, farmers switch to rice production to improve the field environment, then continue stocking for the new crop. To ensure efficiency, giant freshwater prawns are raised in brackish water for a short period to gradually adapt to salinity before being released into the ponds. This method helps the prawns increase their resistance to initial unfavorable conditions, minimize environmental shock, and reduce mortality rates.
The model of intercropping giant freshwater prawns with whiteleg shrimp and tiger shrimp in Vinh Binh commune is a sustainable farming approach that contributes to increasing income and improving livelihoods for the people. Vo Thanh Xuan, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Council of Vinh Binh commune, said: “To expand and develop this model, the commune will continue to invest in improving irrigation infrastructure, strengthening the transfer of science and technology, expanding the scale of production linkages, and building value-added chains. At the same time, we will seek and invite capable businesses to participate in purchasing, helping to stabilize the product output for the people.”
THUY THAN
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/mot-vu-dat-ba-vu-tom-a476513.html
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