Billionaire shrimp farmer creds new farming tech for success

KHÁNH HOÀ — When starting a business, having the bravery to take risks isn't quite enough, according to a successful shrimp farmer in the south-central province of Khánh Hoà who earns VNĐ15-16 billion (US$650,000- 700,000) a year.

Shrimp farmer Lê Quang Toàn (right) instructs his workers at shrimp pond. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Vân

Having experienced failures, 63-year-old Lê Quang Toàn, of Vạn Thọ Commune, Vạn Ninh District, learned that knowledge and technology are vitally important for farming today.

Toàn started farming shrimp in 1994 but faced losses until he made a profit in late 1997 after he learnt about using a tarpaulin pond.

His farming became more prosperous since 2013 when Toàn applied biofloc technology, which is considered a blue revolution in aquaculture.

According to sciencedirect.com, the technology is "the use of aggregates of bacteria, algae, or protozoa, held together in a matrix along with particulate organic matter for the purpose of improving water quality, waste treatment and disease prevention in intensive aquaculture systems".

Toàn was born and raised in a farming household in Phú Yên Province. His family moved to Cam Ranh District, Khánh Hoà and when he was 19, he joined the army. After his service ended, he returned to Khánh Hoà and tried various jobs to earn a living.

After moving to Vạn Ninh District in 1994, Toàn borrowed money to start growing tiger shrimp on a pond with an area of 5,000 sq.m.

In early 1997, he changed from tiger shrimp to white-leg shrimp.

“Due to a lack of experience, I got losses and was stuck. Many times, I wanted to stop shrimp farming and looked at other things to do,” Toàn said.

“I had my eyes opened when the local farmers' association helped me to visit shrimp farming models in other countries including Thailand, Singapore, China’s Hong Kong and Malaysia,” Toàn said.

“Thanks to such visits, I knew about a shrimp farming model using a tarpaulin pond which helped me earn a profit of VNĐ2 billion after applying it for two months," he added.

With biofloc technology which Toàn has used since 2013, he said he did not need antibiotics any more.

Combining biofloc technology with the tarpaulin pond, Toàn could earn a profit of about VNĐ8 billion per season, he said.

Shrimp usually sell for VNĐ100,000-125,000 per kilo after being raised for about 2.5 months to reach the size where 50-60 shrimp weigh a kilo, Toàn said.

He said his farm produced about 32 tonnes every 2.5 months and more than 100 tonnes yearly, so he could earn VNĐ15-16 billion in bumper years.

“Modern technology and qualified breeding are very important for shrimp farming today,” Toàn said, adding that it was also important to ensure clean water in shrimp ponds and other water treatment techniques to create favourable conditions for shrimp to grow healthily.

At Toàn’s farm, he dug wells to take water and then, pumped the well water into a tank to partly remove waste and bacteria. Oxygen is intensively added to the shrimp ponds nearly all the time while water in the pond is regularly refreshed.

There are 40 regular workers and 250 seasonal ones in Toàn’s farm.

Đoàn Minh Thuận, a migrant worker from the central province of Phú Yên, who has worked at Toàn’s farm since 2013, said he was very happy to work for a monthly salary of VNĐ6 million ($260).

He said that Toàn also offered them a commission of 3 per cent of revenue during bumper shrimp seasons.

“As a regular worker at Toàn’s farm, I am paid well with an extra income of dozens of millions of Vietnamese đồng yearly,” Thuận said, adding that even during COVID-19 pandemic, his income was still stable.

Trần Quang Khánh, chairman of Vạn Thọ Commune Farmers’ Association' said that many local households learnt and applied Toàn’s shrimp farm model.

Toàn offered them advice and instructed them on farming techniques. He also gave feed and medicines for the shrimp in advance and they would pay Toàn after they sold their shrimp, Khánh said.

In 2012, Toàn was recognised as a national outstanding farmer.