Sustainable development of snakehead fish farming model.

Việt Nam•03/08/2023

Hau Giang has advantages in terms of land, climate, water resources, etc., making it very favorable for developing aquaculture. Besides extensive farming, intensive farming of snakehead fish - a specialty of the province - is chosen by many households.

The production linkage model between Ky Nhu Cooperative and individual farmers has yielded many positive results.

Economic stability through snakehead fish farming.

In Thanh Hoa commune, Phung Hiep district, Mr. Pham Van Khoi has been involved with snakehead fish farming for many years, from breeding to commercial farming. Mr. Khoi shared: “Currently, I have over 2,000 square meters of water surface for snakehead fish farming. Initially, my family only farmed rice, but the harvest was good, but the price dropped, causing many difficulties. In 2008, I started buying fish fry to breed and sell fingerlings to fish hatcheries. Seeing that fish farming was profitable, I boldly invested in expanding the area for commercial fish farming, and the yield and profit have increased gradually each year. In 2021-2022, I released about 70,000 snakehead fish fingerlings mixed with striped catfish, aiming to utilize excess feed in the ponds and improve the water environment. In the last season, I harvested 18 tons, selling them at 70,000 VND/kg, earning 1.26 billion VND. After deducting expenses, I made a profit of 324 million VND.” Mr. Khoi informed that raising snakehead fish is not difficult; if the correct technical procedures are applied, the fish will develop very well. The fish usually only get intestinal diseases, but these are also easy to treat.

According to statistics from the provincial agricultural sector, as of June 2023, the total aquaculture area in the province was over 3,654 hectares. Of this, the area for snakehead fish farming was 58.96 hectares, with an expected increase to approximately 100 hectares by the end of the year. Currently, intensive snakehead fish farming is mainly concentrated in the districts of Vi Thuy, Chau Thanh A, Long My, and Vi Thanh city, but is particularly prevalent in Phung Hiep district. Some households participate in cooperatives and associations for snakehead fish farming, with many cooperatives operating closed-loop production processes from seed production and feed supply to member farms, and linking production with guaranteed output. Currently, the farming area of these cooperatives is still small, with most operating on a small scale.

According to fish farmers, in order to create a foundation and impetus for expanding the area and sustainably developing commercial snakehead fish farming models linked to value-added chains, it is necessary to closely connect with feed companies that supply feed to farmers through cooperatives and purchase fish from farmers; capital is also a crucial factor for people to continue maintaining and developing their pond areas. Therefore, supporting organizations and individuals in accessing capital with preferential interest rates, thereby helping to reduce production costs, provide good supply services, and improve product quality, is essential.

Raising and processing snakehead fish is considered a lucrative profession for many farmers. To ensure a stable supply of raw materials, in addition to its own 3 hectares, Ky Nhu Cooperative in Thanh Hoa commune, Phung Hiep district, has boldly partnered with local farmers to produce along the value chain on an area of 12 hectares. On average, Ky Nhu Cooperative purchases and processes more than 500 tons of raw snakehead fish annually. Ms. Nguyen Kim Thuy, Director of Ky Nhu Cooperative, said: “If we can establish a specialized fish farming area combined with processing and promote snakehead fish products according to VietGAP standards, the price of fish will be stable and higher. Because the current demand is largely for clean products, meeting this demand will allow snakehead fish products to reach even further into foreign markets, increasing their value even more. In the near future, the facility will expand its pond area by another 2 hectares to ensure supply to the market. In addition, we will continuously organize meetings to exchange professional knowledge so that cooperative members can access advanced technologies, helping them to improve the efficiency of snakehead fish farming.”

Mr. Pham Van Khoi, from Thanh Hoa commune, Phung Hiep district, stands beside his snakehead fish farming model.

Factors for sustainable development

According to the provincial agricultural sector, for intensive industrial farming of snakehead fish, it is necessary to apply water recirculation technology to conserve water resources and protect the environment; farming processes should adhere to good aquaculture practices standards, with the State investing in and supporting the implementation of Good Aquaculture Practices (GAP) certification and food safety to improve product quality, value, and sustainable development. Regarding product consumption, Hau Giang is also developing a brand for its "Hau Giang Snakehead Fish" products, as well as encouraging businesses and cooperatives to invest in processing technology to diversify snakehead fish products and develop raw material areas through linkages. Furthermore, managing and building a synchronized ecosystem for the value chain is crucial, including planning fish raw material areas, processing plant production methods, and linking small-scale producers through cooperative models (cooperatives, enterprises, etc.), thereby forming production linkages within the value chain. This is because linkages in aquaculture production are essential for applying international GlobalGAP standards.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Lam, Deputy Head of the Department of Livestock, Veterinary and Fisheries of the province, said: The industry always encourages people to connect and form cooperatives, including horizontal and vertical linkages. Horizontal linkages involve farmers connecting with other farmers to facilitate the exchange of techniques and farming experiences, aiming for efficiency and high product quality. In addition, this linkage helps farmers in purchasing input materials, reducing costs, and producing according to VietGAP standards to increase product value. Vertical linkages involve connecting farmers with input material suppliers and between farmers and processing facilities, creating a chain linkage system. Specifically for the industry, we will actively promote awareness among the people about the benefits of collaboration, and continuously organize training courses to guide farmers on safe food production processes or good manufacturing practices to reduce antibiotic use, enhance product value and quality, and achieve high productivity.

The effective application of technological advancements and adherence to the technical procedures recommended by the relevant industry will contribute to the expansion of fish farming areas in the region. It is important to note that stocking at the right time of year, and good management of water and feed to minimize environmental pollution are also crucial factors for success. The core issue now is the source of clean agricultural products, which determines their value. Therefore, building aquaculture models that apply VietGAP, GlobalGAP, and other standards, through linkages between groups of households and cooperatives, is essential.

According to the provincial agricultural sector's plan (2021-2025), the target is to reach a total area of approximately 11,000 hectares by 2025. This includes 4,900 hectares of pond farming (200 hectares for catfish, 150 hectares for snakehead fish, 50,000 m² for eels, etc.), 6,100 hectares for aquaculture-rice farming, and 5,000 cage farming units. The goal is to achieve a total aquatic product output of 120,000 tons by 2025. Of this, farmed output will be 117,200 tons (50,000 tons for catfish, 13,500 tons for snakehead fish, 1,750 tons for eels, etc.). In addition, it is necessary to harmonize the exploitation and protection of freshwater aquatic resources in the province, maintaining an aquatic product output of approximately 2,500-3,000 tons/year. The growth rate of aquatic product production value in the period 2021-2025 is expected to reach approximately 2.5%/year.

Text and photos: NGUYEN HUAN

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