After a period of losses with shrimp, Mr. Dinh Vu Hai, 48 years old, in Bac Lieu City, switched to raising snails using high technology, earning billions per crop.
Before raising snails, Mr. Hai had more than 20 years of experience in shrimp farming. Since 2017, he has been the first person to raise white-legged shrimp in Soc Trang and Bac Lieu. After many years, shrimp farmers encountered difficulties when prices were unstable and diseases raged.
Knowing about the snail farming model in the Central provinces, in early 2022, he went to Nha Trang and Ninh Thuan many times to learn. However, many people assert that Bac Lieu land cannot raise snails due to unsuitable natural conditions. “The local water salinity is much lower than the snail farming standard in the Central region (20-25 parts per thousand), plus there is a lot of rain,” Mr. Hai said.
Mr. Hai checked the size of the snail. Image: An Minh
Not giving up, he continued to research and visit many snail farming models across the country. After accumulating experience, Mr. Hai decided to try improving the farming land. To have the desired offspring, the farm owner must convince the farming facility to agree to lower the salinity level, with a commitment that if the snails die, they will be responsible.
In the first crop, Mr. Hai spent 200 million VND to buy three million breeds in Ninh Thuan and Nha Trang, raising them in 4 ponds with an area of about 6,000 m2. The pond is lined with tarpaulin, sand is poured on the bottom, and the top is covered with a net. Seawater must be treated in settling ponds, and only when the conditions and salinity are met can it be transferred into the pond.
During the cultivation process, the farming density will be changed by the owner depending on the snail’s growth rate and the carrying capacity of the environment. Initially, snails are stocked at a density of 3,000-4,000 snails per m2, then gradually reduce to about 1,000 snails per m2. Each time the density is reduced, the snails will be transferred to the pond for cleaning, stimulating growth and limiting disease.
“Not choosing the traditional farming method, I decided to lower the water level to about 40 cm. The water must be clear to help the snails grow well, and it is also easy for me to manage,” Mr. Hai said, stating that the pond is supplemented with probiotics. , limit the use of drugs and antibiotics. He only feeds the snails pureed fresh sea fish to help them digest easily and reduce intestinal diseases.
After 12 months of raising, the snails reach a size of 130-150 per kg. The owner begins to harvest the large ones, and the remaining ones will be raised further. The farm owner harvests all snails after 12-18 months of farming. The first crop was successful, Mr. Hai collected more than 20 tons of snails, minus the cost of more than one billion VND.
Snails have chewy, crunchy, sweet meat. Image: An Minh
According to Mr. Hai, raising snails is not difficult, requires little effort and is many times more profitable than raising shrimp. However, the most important thing is that farmers need to find suitable breeds and manage water resources well.
In early 2023, after careful preparation of farming ponds and capital, Mr. Hai expanded the scale to more than 20 ponds. In each 1,000 m2 pond, he stocked 500,000 fish at a density of 500 fish per m2. With this area, the farm owner estimates to harvest about 100 tons of commercial snails.
Thanks to long-term farming and clean food sources, the facility’s snail meat is chewy, crispy, and sweet; Store fresh for a long time. Currently, snails at the farm are sold to many wholesale markets, restaurants, eateries, and exported to China… Snails of 100 pieces per kilogram sell for 250,000-300,000 VND; Snails sized 50-70 per kg cost more than 420,000 VND.
Snails are molluscs that live on sandy or sandy mud bottoms; Tough meat, rich in nutrients, easy to prepare many delicious dishes such as steaming, boiling lemongrass, roasting with salt…
An Minh