Raising bats - a hobby that yields real money.

Proactively securing fertilizer sources.

During a trip to the Mekong Delta, Mr. Nguyen Van Tho, residing in Hamlet 4, Minh Tam Commune, Hon Quan District, visited a model of bat farming for guano production. Recognizing the model's effectiveness and cost-saving benefits from fertilizer purchases, Mr. Tho built a bat enclosure in his rubber plantation. The 24m² enclosure is built on a dry, elevated plot of land, next to a pond, creating a cool and airy space. Many clusters of palm leaves are hung inside the enclosure to serve as nests for the bats. Initially, few bats returned, but later they formed a colony. During the dry season, the enclosure yields approximately 4kg of guano daily. During the rainy season, the bat colony becomes denser, resulting in a larger yield. The guano can be used in both fresh and dried forms. This type of fertilizer has a high nutrient content; bat guano's NPK ratio ranks first compared to other organic fertilizers such as cow, pig, chicken, and goat manure. Therefore, when using bat guano, Mr. Tho uses less than other types of animal manure to fertilize his crops. Mr. Tho said: "I planted 100 golden star apple trees and over 1 hectare of durian trees. Thanks to bat guano, the trees are always green and healthy, yielding high productivity. Since I started using bat guano, I save more than 70 million VND per year on fertilizer."

Mr. Nguyen Van Tho, residing in Hamlet 4, Minh Tam Commune, Hon Quan District, harvests bat guano.

Regarding the technique of building bat enclosures, Mr. Tho said: Bat enclosures are built in a dry, quiet place, near ponds or bodies of water. The distance from the ground to where the leaves are hung to provide shelter for the bats is about 7 meters. Palm leaves can be used for a year before needing replacement. During the breeding process, the leaves must be kept clean. If the leaves are dirty, the bats will leave the enclosure. Under the bat enclosure, Mr. Tho stretches netting to collect droppings daily. To raise bats effectively, he usually builds two enclosures, because when one enclosure is cleaned of leaves, the bats will move to the adjacent one. Bats are nocturnal; when dusk falls, they fly out to forage. Their food consists of mosquitoes, butterflies, and aphids. During the day, they seek quiet places to sleep. When sleeping, bats hang upside down with their heads pointing towards the ground. Therefore, the bat enclosure must be built in a quiet place; if there is too much noise, they will leave the enclosure.

A new bat farming model has recently developed in Minh Tam commune. Currently, there are more than 10 households in the commune raising bats for their guano. Thanks to this model, the households have been able to proactively secure a source of fertilizer for their crops. In addition, some bat-farming households have increased their income by supplying bat guano to markets in the Mekong Delta provinces.

Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Minh Tam Commune, Hon Quan District, TRUONG VAN HIEP

High profits

Five years ago, Mr. Nguyen Van Cuong, residing in Hamlet 2, Dong No Commune, Hon Quan District, built two bat enclosures, each measuring 27 square meters. Unlike Mr. Tho, Mr. Cuong raises bats to sell their guano. With two enclosures, he collects approximately 6 kg of guano daily. During the rainy season, the bats flock to his enclosures in large numbers, doubling the amount. Each month, the two enclosures yield 180-300 kg of guano. Depending on the time of year, the price of bat guano ranges from 50,000 to 55,000 VND per kg, bringing in 10-15 million VND per month after sales. In addition, Mr. Cuong advises, builds enclosures for, and purchases guano from other bat farmers within and outside the commune. Each month, he sells 3-4 tons of bat guano to provinces in the Mekong Delta.

Mr. Cuong said: "Bat guano is very good, used to fertilize fruit trees and ornamental plants. Currently, the amount of bat guano in the commune is not enough to supply the market. Therefore, I often buy bat guano from households raising them outside the commune. Fertilizer dealers in the Mekong Delta buy as much as they can get."

Bat farming helps many families save on fertilizer costs and earn high profits from bat guano.

Bat guano is in high demand and is being consumed in large quantities in the western provinces.

Bats are very sensitive to the scent of strangers, as well as to animals and insects that could harm them; if disturbed, they will leave. Dangerous enemies of bats include snakes, owls, aphids, and ants. Therefore, it is necessary to regularly clear bushes to limit predators from harming bats. Typically, Mr. Cuong washes, dries, and replaces the palm leaves about once a week. He replaces the leaves when the bats leave their cages to feed, doing so quickly within 15 minutes. If he can't replace them in time, he replaces about a third of them, then replaces the rest the next day, because if they encounter strangers, the bats will leave their cages.

According to Mr. Cuong, raising bats is quite simple and doesn't require much care, as bats usually live in colonies in the wild. The cost of building a bat enclosure is 50-60 million VND. The household only incurs the initial construction cost, but can use it for many years afterward. Besides producing fertilizer for crops, bat farming provides a stable income for many households in Dong No commune.

Source: https://baobinhphuoc.com.vn/news/4/172519/nuoi-doi-lam-choi-an-that