According to Cà Mau agriculture industry, farmers have earned between 50 and 60 million VND per hectare annually when their rice and shrimps are cultivated in a rotation model.
Farmer Nguyễn Chí Tâm living in Khánh Thuận commune, U Minh district applied shrimp – rice rotation model sized 2.5 hectares and earned 100 million VND (2,200 USD) after three crops since early this year. According to Tâm, the weather is favorable this year and salinity is not as high as it was last year, shrimp farming thus was well conducted. As rainy season kicked off earlier than normal, farmers had to speed up their shrimp – rice rotation. However, heavy rain has facilitated the saline leaching.
Farmer Trần Văn Triều, who lives in Tân Bằng commune, Thới Bình district and has applied shrimp – rice farming for nearly ten years said this model is easy, high efficient and more importantly farmers can cultivate rice after shrimp season. Rice roots can be used to feed shrimps and improve the land; additionally wastage is absorbed to the rice; therefore the bumper crop of rice brings in the higher productivity of shrimp farmers may get.
Mai Thành Phụng (former Head of South Office of National Agriculture Extension Center) said there is variety of rice which can grow with shrimp. The selection of plant depends on different conditions of the land but the rice must be verified for its suitability with local cultivation. As planned, Cà Mau will carry out its shrimp – rice farming areas in 40 thousand hectares this year.
VFM
