Loach farming is gradually heating up. How much money can one mu of loach pond earn?

When I was a kid, my favorite thing was when the nearby fish ponds were being cleaned out. Every time the water was pumped dry, the muddy pond left behind always had quite a few loaches and small shrimp. But around here there aren't many people who specifically farm loach, which may have something to do with the locals' tastes.

The locals around here think loach doesn't taste very good, so not many people eat it, and naturally not many people farm it. But there are people who farm fish, crayfish, and rice field eels. So before farming, you must have a clear understanding of the local market conditions and not act blindly. If the local market conditions are too poor, I'd advise you to give up on the idea early, since the farming industry carries great risks.

Next, let's look at the upfront investment for farming one mu of loach.

Another reason not many people farm loach is that the investment in the pond is relatively large. Because loaches are extremely good at escaping, most farmers choose to build the pond with cement, which can reduce loach escapes. This means you need to factor in pond rent and pond renovation costs (water and electricity renovation, pond digging, repair costs, etc.), which together come to about 30,000 yuan per mu.

Second, you also need supporting facilities for the pond, such as anti-escape netting, bird netting, drainage facilities, aeration facilities, etc., which come to about 5,000 yuan.

Third is the issue of loach fry. The ones currently making relatively good money in loach farming are probably those selling loach fry. Generally, each mu of pond needs 60,000 loach fry, and these 60,000 loach fry, depending on their quality, cost about 5,000 yuan.

Fourth is the feed issue. The biggest expense in the farming process is feed. Moreover, feeding during loach farming is also a job that requires a fair amount of skill. Loaches generally eat small meals more often, and the feed cost for one mu of loach over the whole farming process comes to about 8,000 yuan.

Finally, there are some inconspicuous expenses during the farming process, such as pond disinfection, loach medication, worker wages, water and electricity costs, and so on, all of which require investment. These odds and ends look inconspicuous, but together they also come to about 10,000 yuan.

Calculated this way, one mu of loach pond requires about 50,000 yuan in investment in the first year. Of course, the costs are higher in the first year and slightly lower afterward. Now let's look at the current market price of loach. Prices actually vary quite a lot. Around here, loach isn't very popular in the market. Ordinary families generally don't eat loach, and only some restaurants specifically buy it, so the price is relatively low.

Generally it's about 8 to 10 yuan per jin. One mu of pond produces about 5,000 jin of loach. In that case, farming loach around here, you're quite likely to lose money in the first year. Of course, if you farm well, you can still make some money, but not much. Of course, if you farm in an area with relatively high demand for loach and the market is good, you can naturally make money too.

However, the farming market is still very risky and cyclical, so it's better to be cautious.