Ben Tre: “Daring” model of farming molted giant river prawn

To enhance the value and stability of giant river prawns, Nguyen Huu Nam from An Thanh Commune, Thanh Phu District, Ben Tre, devised the giant river prawn molting farming method. His bold idea reverses the usual method by purchasing regular hard-shell prawns and nurturing them until they molt. These live molted prawns are then vacuum-packed and stored in a freezer for market supply. Presented to the An Thanh Agricultural – Service Cooperative leadership, this model was unanimously adopted as the cooperative’s new production model.

Nam states that giant river prawns raised in rice fields for five months currently fetch 180,000 VND/kg. The cooperative buys and nurtures them for an additional month to harvest molted prawns, which sell for 360,000 VND/kg. Frozen molted prawns from the cooperative are sold at 360,000 VND/kg for 12 prawns/kg size and 320,000 VND/kg for 16 prawns/kg size.

“According to consumer feedback and cooperative members, frozen molted giant river prawns are considered a ‘super product’ with advantages such as freshness, high nutritional quality, and vibrant color after cooking. These prawns can be used in various dishes, and consumers can eat them whole without peeling. Buyers and restaurants highly rate the quality of the cooperative’s frozen molted giant river prawns,” Nam added.

The An Thanh Agricultural – Service Cooperative, established in mid-2023 with Nguyen Huu Nam as Chairman and CEO, views Nam’s molted giant river prawn production idea as an innovative and effective strategy. This initiative uses locally sourced prawns, benefiting cooperative members and contributing positively to community agriculture development and environmental protection. The cooperative has built a material procurement network in the region, ensuring the entire production process uses locally sourced, high-quality materials.

In An Thanh and other communes in sub-region 2 of Thanh Phu District (An Nhon, An Qui, My An, An Dien…), giant river prawn farming in rice fields has long been part of the local culture and lifestyle. The “prawn embracing rice” model has been an effective economic solution to climate change for over 20 years in this brackish water region.

However, prawn prices have often been unstable. Therefore, the giant river prawn molting and freezing model, which doubles the value for better market control, is seen as a new turning point for sustainable development of giant river prawns in Ben Tre in general and rice field prawns in Thanh Phu in particular.

The An Thanh Agricultural – Service Cooperative currently has 151 members farming giant river prawns in rice fields over 50 hectares. Since its inception, the cooperative has purchased over 1.5 tons of raw giant river prawns and sold over 1 ton of molted prawns.

VFM