Prospects for getting rich in rural Nghe An

From low-lying fields, stagnant ponds, and areas that were thought to be able to grow rice only once a year, many farmers in Nghe An have now found a new direction with the black snail farming model. With low investment costs, simple techniques, and high economic efficiency, this model not only helps people escape poverty, but also opens up the prospect of sustainable enrichment for rural areas in Nghe An.

The commercial black apple snail farming model is being applied by many farmers in Nghe An and achieving high economic efficiency.

New direction from stagnant ponds and low-lying fields

About 50km from Thanh Vinh ward, Nghe An province, Luong Son commune in previous years still had many poor households. With little land for production and unstable water sources, most people only depended on a few acres of rice fields or small-scale livestock farming. However, in recent years, the rural landscape here has been changing thanks to a seemingly simple but surprisingly effective production model, which is the commercial black apple snail farming model.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lien, from Luong Son commune, is one of the households that has successfully raised black apple snails for sale. Thanks to her diligence, eagerness to learn, and creativity in economic development, her family has escaped near poverty and gradually stabilized their lives. After only a few years, her family has gone from being poor to being well-off thanks to the black apple snail farming model, with a stable income of hundreds of millions of dong each year. Ms. Lien said: “Before, my family farmed 6 sao of rice fields but had no money left. By chance, I saw people raising black apple snails online, so I boldly researched and tried it. Unexpectedly, this model has helped my family escape poverty sustainably.”

From that success, Ms. Lien decided to expand the scale to 10 ponds with more than 2,000m², both raising snails for sale and breeding to sell to people in the surrounding area. She recalls that in 2019, the couple boldly borrowed 150 million VND to buy nearly 500 kg of black apple snails from Hanoi to raise. The first batch failed due to lack of experience, the snails were skinny and had thin shells, not much profit. After learning from experience, she decided to reinvest and started making a profit. According to Ms. Lien, raising black apple snails is not too difficult, just need a clean pond, deep water level and lots of green food. Every 3 days, her family has to drop 300 kg of duckweed into the pond, in addition to regularly clearing grass and catching golden apple snails at night to avoid affecting the development of black apple snails. With a selling price of 80,000 VND/kg, each year, her family harvests 4 batches, reaching about 8 tons of commercial snails, bringing in more than 600 million VND. In addition, the income from snail seeds brings Ms. Lien about 10 million VND per month.

Not only Luong Son, Dien Chau, Quynh Luu, Nghi Loc, Nam Dan, Thanh Chuong communes... are also strongly developing the black snail farming model. Many farming households have converted ineffective rice fields to snail farming, both taking advantage of the available water surface and creating a significant source of income. According to statistics from the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Nghe An, currently, the whole province has more than 250 black snail farming models at the household and cooperative scale, bringing in hundreds of millions of VND in profits each year for many households. Black snails are a familiar creature in the rural areas of the North Central region, easy to raise, have few diseases, and adapt well to local climate conditions. Thanks to that, Nghe An farmers quickly grasp the technique and apply it to actual production. With just a small pond of 200 - 300m², and an initial investment of about 10 - 15 million VND, people can start raising snails. After 4 - 6 months, each pond can harvest 300 - 500kg of commercial snails, bringing in revenue of 25 - 40 million VND/crop, many times higher than growing rice.

Black apple snails are easy to raise, have few diseases, and adapt well to local climate conditions.

Sustainable poverty escape, opening the way to get rich

If in the past, black apple snail farming in Nghe An was mainly spontaneous, now models of production and product consumption linkages have been formed according to the value chain. Some youth cooperatives in the communes of Binh Minh, Nam Dan, Nghi Loc, Dien Chau... have boldly invested in building nursery facilities, providing quality seeds to people in and outside the province.

The success of the black snail farming model is not only in the profit figures, but also the story of the change in the production mindset of Nghe An farmers. From "looking to the sky, looking to the land, looking to the clouds", people have now proactively applied technical advances, know how to calculate the market, and know how to link up for large-scale production. That is an important step in the process of building a sustainable new countryside. Many households that were previously poor have now become well-off.

Ms. Vi Thi Hong, a member of the Women's Union of Chau Tien hamlet, Nghia Mai commune, said: "My family was on the list of poor households for many years. Since switching to snail farming, life has changed dramatically. Every year, after deducting expenses, I still make a profit of more than 100 million VND. With the money, I can repair the house and buy a motorbike for my children to go to school."

Not only Vi Thi Hong's family, dozens of other households in the commune have also escaped poverty thanks to snail farming, creating a vibrant economic competition movement in the locality. From the success of the first models, Nghe An farmers are gradually affirming that they can absolutely get rich on their homeland, if they know how to change their mindset and boldly start a business. Snail ponds are now not only "underwater treasures", but also a symbol of the creative working spirit, daring to think, daring to do of Nghe people.

In communes such as Quy Chau, Que Phong, Tan Ky, where the land is large but production is difficult, many Thai and Kho Mu households have also begun to learn the snail farming model. With the support of local authorities, they are having more opportunities to escape poverty sustainably. The green snail ponds reflecting the afternoon sunlight are proof of the revival of the once-difficult countryside. From a social perspective, this model also contributes to retaining rural workers, limiting the situation of young people leaving their hometown to work far away. When having jobs and stable incomes, people feel secure in their attachment to the fields, joining hands to build new rural areas. This is also an important factor in ensuring rural security and maintaining the people's hearts in border areas.

The story of Nghe An farmers escaping poverty by raising black apple snails is not only a model of economic development, but also shows the determination and will to get rich of farmers in the renovation period. From stagnant ponds and low-lying fields, people have turned difficulties into opportunities, gradually mastering technology, markets and their own future, with the desire to bring a prosperous life to their homeland Nghe An.

bienphong.com

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/trien-vong-lam-giau-o-vung-nong-thon-xu-nghe-post886105.html