The crab farming model in plastic boxes in Ha Tinh provides high incomes and quick capital recovery. Every year, the cooperative makes a profit of one billion VND.
The Ha Vang Aquaculture Cooperative’s model of raising crabs in plastic boxes (located in Thach Ha district, Ha Tinh city, Ha Tinh province) is considered an efficient model with high profits and fast capital recovery. This model uses water filtration technology and oxygen aeration, requiring very little input water.
Mr. Nguyen Van Hoa, director of the Ha Vang Aquaculture Cooperative, stated that in 2021, local leaders and residents visited an aquaculture area in Hai Phong city to learn about the soft-shell crab farming model in plastic boxes. Realizing its great economic efficiency, Mr. Hoa and six others decided to invest in soft-shell crab farming with the desire to prosper in their hometown.
A finished crab weighs about 3.5 ounces. Each kilogram is sold for 700,000 VND. By the end of 2022, Mr. Hoa and the six others founded the Ha Vang Aquaculture Cooperative. After its establishment, the cooperative rented more than one hectare of barren, abandoned land in Dong Ghe (Thach Ha commune) from local households and invested over one billion VND to start farming soft-shell crabs.
The water filtration system ensures the water source remains clean and oxygen-rich, creating an ideal living environment for healthy crab growth. « We bought 1,000 plastic boxes to farm 1,000 crabs. At first, it was difficult because the crabs weren’t used to the system. There were issues, and the system had to be constantly renovated and repaired. After a period of work and learning, our model is now very successful in the region, » said Mr. Hoa.
Mr. Hoa explained that the plastic box crab farming model takes up little space but yields high productivity. The products are guaranteed to be food-safe, without any medications or antibiotics.
« People farm crabs in ponds. Then, we buy them and raise them in plastic boxes for molting. With each molt, the crabs double their normal weight. Once they begin molting, we sell them. We sell them once a month, mainly to large restaurants in Hai Phong, » Mr. Hoa explained.
The molted crabs weigh twice as much as regular crabs. The Ha Vang Seafood Cooperative also stated that the crab farming model in plastic boxes has many advantages over the traditional method.
According to our evaluation, this model is 4 to 5 times more profitable than the traditional method. Each plastic box holds only one crab to avoid biting. The boxes are stacked on top of each other to save space and are numbered to track the farming date, crab weight, their diet, and the care they receive until harvest.
The characteristics of the crabs are the same, but when raised in plastic boxes, the quality of the crabs differs. « Crab farmers in ponds have unstable water quality. When crabs are placed in plastic boxes, the water contains all the minerals they need. The crabs are completely healthy and do not require antibiotics, » Mr. Hoa added.
A delegation visited the plastic box crab farming model in Thach Ha district. According to a representative of the Ha Vang Aquaculture Cooperative, the crab farming model in plastic boxes generates an annual profit of about one billion VND. « With 1,000 crabs weighing 100 grams each, we sell around 350 kg per month. Each kilogram of crabs sells for 700,000 VND. After deducting all costs and losses, we make a profit of about one billion VND per year. Soft-shell crabs are quite expensive, but we are always out of stock. The amount of crabs we raise is not enough to supply restaurants in the North, » added the cooperative representative.
Mr. Nguyen Song Han, chairman of the Thach Ha People’s Committee, highly praised the Ha Vang Aquaculture Cooperative’s soft-shell crab farming model.
According to Mr. Han, after a period of studies and experiences in various provinces and cities, the commune leaders returned to share the knowledge with the community and developed the first soft-shell crab farming model in the locality.
« The cooperative rented barren rice fields, abandoned for many years, from local households for 20 years to farm soft-shell crabs. Each year, after deducting expenses, the cooperative makes a profit of about one billion VND. This crab farming model provides high incomes for the community. In the future, the locality will replicate this model to help people develop a more sustainable economy, » said Mr. Han.
