"The King of Crabs" in the low-lying areas where crabs are raised.

In Thap Linh village, Trung Chinh commune, everyone affectionately calls Mr. Le Huy Diep by the name "king of crabs." This nickname stems from his seemingly reckless decision to rent land in the middle of a low-lying rice paddy, build a hut to raise crabs, and become wealthy from these tiny creatures.

Mr. Diep showed how to lure crabs to build nests.

One chilly morning, we followed Mr. Diep along the irrigation ditches surrounding his 2.5-hectare farm. What fascinated us most was his revelation of how to see the crabs entering and leaving their burrows. You have to be very stealthy, because even the slightest sound from footsteps or rustling grass will cause them to quickly crawl down into their holes.

Mr. Diep said, "There are many crabs here, but to catch them you have to set traps and you need to be experienced." Pointing to the vast field he leased, Mr. Diep explained that this entire area used to be abandoned farmland, with barren land unsuitable for rice cultivation. In 2016, after retiring, he leased it with the intention of establishing a mixed farm. Initially, he tried various models, from raising cattle, pigs, and ducks to growing fruit trees... but the barren, low-lying land was unsuitable.

After much deliberation, and even a period where he gave up investing altogether due to financial constraints, Mr. Diep gained valuable insights and observations. He realized that his farm was situated near the mouth of the Yen River, where the water level rose and fell regularly, resulting in an abundance of crabs that reproduced quickly and produced a local specialty: crab paste. He then asked himself, "Why don't I develop a model based on the very animals that thrive in the fields and are popular with the local people?"

When he talked about his idea, his relatives all advised him to rest and recuperate after so many years of work; no one believed that raising crabs could become a business. As for his neighbors, many shook their heads at his decision. They thought "raising crabs" was just a joke, because crabs have always lived naturally along the riverbanks, and who would catch them to raise them, only to fail like previous ventures? Some even advised him "not to waste his time and money," but he was determined to do it, so he sought out people knowledgeable about crab farming techniques to learn from them.

Mr. Diep shared: “Crabs thrive in environments with grass, moss, and algae, prefer early morning light, and are very hardy. They reproduce naturally and don't need to be raised industrially.” To start the model, he hired an excavator to dig “trenches” around the rice fields, both to channel water and to create a natural environment for the crabs to live and nest. He also planted sedge along the banks to retain soil and create hiding places. Before long, in addition to the crablings he released, wild crabs also flocked to the fields to build nests.

According to Mr. Diep, raising mud crabs doesn't require much investment. The initial cost is just for renting an excavator to create a favorable environment for the crabs; after that, there's almost no need to invest heavily in breeding stock or feed. The crabs reproduce naturally, their main food source being algae and plankton left behind by the ebb and flow of the tide. Each month, he hires people to clean the ditches to ensure natural water circulation. Otherwise, the crabs live according to their instincts.

The crab harvesting season lasts from March to July every year. He excitedly recounted: “Catching crabs is so much fun! We use 1.5-liter plastic bottles, cut them in half, place them along the ditch banks, and sprinkle some roasted and crushed rice as bait. After a short while, the crabs smell the aroma and crawl into the traps. Every morning, walking along the ditch banks and seeing the traps full of crabs makes me happy.” Thanks to this model, his family harvests about 3 tons of crabs each year, selling them at around 80,000 VND/kg, bringing in an income of over 200 million VND. Mr. Diep also shared his plans to expand the model and register for OCOP product certification to bring Trung Chinh crab paste to the market.

According to Tran Van Thang, Head of the Economic Department of Trung Chinh commune, Mr. Diep's crab farming model is an innovative approach, taking advantage of the low-lying, moist soil and abundant water resources to transform crabs, which were previously only intended to meet the needs of individual families, into a livelihood model that generates income and helps change the mindset of people in the low-lying areas.

Text and photos: Dinh Giang

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/vua-cay-noi-dong-trung-271174.htm