Illustrative image (Source: VNA) An Giang (VNS/VNA) - Farmers in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang have bred giantriver prawns on 74ha so far this year, up 40.6 percent against the sameperiod last year, according to the provincial Department of Agriculture andRural Development.
Most giant riverprawn farming areas are in Thoai Son, Chau Thanh and Chau Phudistricts, and Long Xuyen city.
The breeding of giantriver prawns in An Giang has developed since 2000, mostly in pondsor under rice-shrimp rotation models in rice fields.
The breeding of the hugecrustaceans in rice fields during the delta’s flooding season has offeredfarmers higher profits than rice cultivation.
Farmer Trinh Van Dinh,from An Phu district’s Vinh Hau commune, catches giant river prawn friesin floodwaters and then breeds them in his rice field.
This year, Dinh isbreeding more than 12,000 giant river prawn fries on a 3,000sq.m field.
He is expected to earn 100million VND (4,400 USD) from harvesting 300 kilos of giant river prawns comparedto 200 kilos last year, as floodwaters have been higher than those of lastyear.
During the floodingseason, farmers enclose flooded fields with wooden stakes and nets to farm the prawns,which eat natural food in floodwaters. The higher the floodwaters, the fasterthe prawns grow.
The area for breedingthe prawns increased from 5.5ha in 2000 to 650ha in 2007. However, theprovince’s giant river prawn farming area shrank in size in recent yearsbecause of low quality prawn fries, low yield and losses.
The province is nowusing advanced farming techniques and breeding only male giant riverprawns, according to the department.
Giant male riverprawns grow faster than female prawns and are strongly resistant to disease,and can be harvested within four to six months.
Profits from male giantriver prawns have increased by 30 percent compared to traditional farming,according to the province’s Fisheries Breeding Centre.
In recent years, thecentre produced all male giant river prawn fries for breeding which helpedto cut the number of deaths during the breeding process.
The centre has producedabout 18.2 million giant river prawn post-larvae and more than 419 million ofprawn larvae so far this year, meeting the demand of male prawn fries forbreeding in An Giang and other provinces.
An Giang plans to have300ha that breeds all male giant river prawn under Vietnamese Good AgriculturalPractices (VietGAP) standards by 2020.
Of the figure, 250ha isbred in Thoai Son district and the rest in Chau Phu district.
The province has offeredsoft loans for farmers to breed giant river prawns and has provided them withfarming techniques.
It also covers 50 percentof the cost of prawn fries for farmers who breed giant river prawns underVietGAP standards.-VNS/VNA
Most giant riverprawn farming areas are in Thoai Son, Chau Thanh and Chau Phudistricts, and Long Xuyen city.
The breeding of giantriver prawns in An Giang has developed since 2000, mostly in pondsor under rice-shrimp rotation models in rice fields.
The breeding of the hugecrustaceans in rice fields during the delta’s flooding season has offeredfarmers higher profits than rice cultivation.
Farmer Trinh Van Dinh,from An Phu district’s Vinh Hau commune, catches giant river prawn friesin floodwaters and then breeds them in his rice field.
This year, Dinh isbreeding more than 12,000 giant river prawn fries on a 3,000sq.m field.
He is expected to earn 100million VND (4,400 USD) from harvesting 300 kilos of giant river prawns comparedto 200 kilos last year, as floodwaters have been higher than those of lastyear.
During the floodingseason, farmers enclose flooded fields with wooden stakes and nets to farm the prawns,which eat natural food in floodwaters. The higher the floodwaters, the fasterthe prawns grow.
The area for breedingthe prawns increased from 5.5ha in 2000 to 650ha in 2007. However, theprovince’s giant river prawn farming area shrank in size in recent yearsbecause of low quality prawn fries, low yield and losses.
The province is nowusing advanced farming techniques and breeding only male giant riverprawns, according to the department.
Giant male riverprawns grow faster than female prawns and are strongly resistant to disease,and can be harvested within four to six months.
Profits from male giantriver prawns have increased by 30 percent compared to traditional farming,according to the province’s Fisheries Breeding Centre.
In recent years, thecentre produced all male giant river prawn fries for breeding which helpedto cut the number of deaths during the breeding process.
The centre has producedabout 18.2 million giant river prawn post-larvae and more than 419 million ofprawn larvae so far this year, meeting the demand of male prawn fries forbreeding in An Giang and other provinces.
An Giang plans to have300ha that breeds all male giant river prawn under Vietnamese Good AgriculturalPractices (VietGAP) standards by 2020.
Of the figure, 250ha isbred in Thoai Son district and the rest in Chau Phu district.
The province has offeredsoft loans for farmers to breed giant river prawns and has provided them withfarming techniques.
It also covers 50 percentof the cost of prawn fries for farmers who breed giant river prawns underVietGAP standards.-VNS/VNA
VNA
