In Lau Bai hamlet, Tien Phong commune, nearly 70 fish cages still follow the lake's banks, creating a new look for the countryside along the Da river.
Mr. Ly Quang Hoang - a long-time farmer, said that thanks to access to preferential loans and support for fish breeds and techniques from the State, his family has boldly invested in 5 more cages since the beginning of the year. He currently raises more than 10 fish cages, earning tens of millions of VND per cage each crop.
"Cage fish farming not only ensures life, but also opens up opportunities to get rich, even develop tourism for the whole region," Mr. Hoang shared.
Not only is this profession directly raised by households, it also creates jobs for many local workers. Mr. Bui Cong Minh (42 years old, Lac Thuy commune) has worked for nearly 5 years at a fish farm in Tien Phong commune, saying that the job brings a steady income of about 9 million VND/month, helping his family have a more stable life.
Tien Phong commune is considered one of the localities with clear advantages for aquaculture development, with a water surface area of about 1,886 hectares.
Talking to reporters, Ms. Ban Kim Quy - Chairman of Tien Phong Commune People's Committee, said: "The local government has had many policies to encourage and create conditions for people to invest in cage fish farming.
Thanks to that, the whole commune currently has 1,544 fish cages, of which households occupy 1,301 cages and businesses have 243 cages. Cage fish farming has contributed significantly to changing the socio-economic landscape of the locality".
According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Phu Tho province, the Hoa Binh reservoir has an area of over 8,892 hectares of water surface reserved for aquaculture.
The whole region currently has over 5,000 cages, with an average annual output of about 8,550 tons of fish. The cage fish farming profession is also creating jobs for about 4,000 local workers.
Mr. Nguyen Huy Nhuan - Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Phu Tho province, informed that currently, in addition to thousands of cage fish farming households, there are about 20 enterprises and cooperatives participating in cage fish farming in the Hoa Binh lake area. Of which, 18 facilities have been VietGAP certified, ensuring food safety.
According to Mr. Nhuan, cage fish farming not only helps people escape poverty but also creates households with billions of dong in income each year.
The main species including black catfish, black carp, grass carp, monopoly carp... all have high economic value and are suitable for the ecological conditions of the lake.
To enhance the brand, since 2017, the old Hoa Binh province (now Phu Tho province) has built a brand to certify "Da River Fish - Hoa Binh" and "Da River Shrimp - Hoa Binh", granting the right to use to many households, cooperatives and enterprises. This is an important step to affirm the position of Da River fish products in the market.
The strong development of fish farming in the lake area is opening a sustainable direction, contributing to improving people's lives and developing the local economy.
