Ha Tinh Clam farmers enjoy a bumper harvest and high prices
Clam farmers in Mai Phu Commune, Thach Ha District, Ha Tinh Province, are currently busy harvesting their crops. Thanks to an abundant yield and favorable prices early in the year, local farmers are enjoying a season of prosperity and joy.
Farmer Nguyen Xuan Vinh from Mai Lam Hamlet, Mai Phu Commune, shared: “My family owns 2 hectares of alluvial land in Cua Sot and is currently focused on harvesting to meet market demand. Since the Lunar New Year, consumer demand for clams has increased, making sales easier. Daily consumption has risen by 20-30%, and prices have gone up by 1,000 to 2,000 VND per kilogram. We are accelerating the harvest to prepare the land for the next stocking.”
Vinh stated that in the past, clam harvesting was done manually, requiring significant labor. However, with the adoption of modern machinery, it is now possible to harvest 2 to 3 tons of commercial clams per hour. After being collected, the clams are transported to shore for sorting, preliminary processing, and packaging into sacks before being sold to traders. With more than 2 hectares of clam farming, Vinh expects a yield of approximately 50 tons this season. At the current market price, he anticipates earning over half a billion VND.
Dao Xuan Niem, a resident of Mai Lam Hamlet, Mai Phu Commune, owns nearly three hectares of clam farms, which were seeded in April last year. This season, the harvest is abundant, and prices are higher, motivating farmers to actively collect and sell their clams. According to Niem, clam farming is a demanding job that requires constant monitoring of tides and disease outbreaks. However, it yields profits two to three times higher than the initial investment, making the effort worthwhile.
Currently, clam farmers are joyfully harvesting their crops after more than 13 months of cultivation. Thanks to favorable farming conditions, high-quality seeds, and relatively good weather, the clams have grown to a size of approximately 80-90 per kilogram. Over the next one to two months, the association is expected to sell more than 1,000 tons of mature clams at a favorable price.
In recent years, local farmers have collaborated in production, invested in farming areas, selected high-quality clam seed (Ben Tre variety), and adhered to proper technical procedures, resulting in a significant increase in clam yields. On average, each hectare produces 30-40 tons of commercial clams after more than a year of cultivation, generating revenue of 250-300 million VND.
Mai Phu is a riverside commune with silt-rich sandy tidal flats in brackish waters, where tides rise and fall regularly, ideal conditions for clam farming. For decades, many households in Mai Phu have relied on natural clam harvesting. However, in recent years, they have invested in and adopted advanced techniques for commercial clam farming, expanding the cultivation area to several dozen hectares, with investment capital reaching billions of VND. Today, Mai Phu stands as one of the leading commercial clam farming regions in Ha Tinh province.
VFM
