What is the outlook for toad farming? Market price trends analyzed
The toad, also known as the scabies toad, warty toad, or scabby lump toad, is an amphibian of the family Bufonidae. It likes to hide in mud burrows, under damp stones, in grass, and by ditches. Its skin is covered with many warts that contain venom glands. The toad venom and toad skin extracted from its body are medicinal materials in short supply in China, giving it extremely high farming value and prospects. Let's take a look below at the prospects and prices of toad farming!
How much does a toad cost?
The valuable part of the toad is the medicinal material on its body——toad skin and toad venom. Live toads have no value if the medicinal materials are not collected. Generally, even when live toads are sold, the price is only about 4 to 6 yuan per jin, so the profit is very low. If you have live toads, you can collect the medicinal materials yourself and sell them, and the income can be quite considerable. At present, the price of toad skin is generally 0.5 to over 10,000 yuan per jin, and the price of toad venom is 1,200 to 5,000 yuan per jin.
What is the outlook for toad farming?
As wild resources decrease, it is hard to see large numbers of toads in the wild, and China also cracks down hard on catching wild toads. At present, market demand for toad venom is growing, and prices have been rising all the way, now having risen from 3,000 yuan per jin a few years ago to 5,000 yuan per jin. According to industry insiders, the toad venom currently purchased in China can only meet 23% of demand, leaving a large market gap, so the outlook for toad farming remains promising. However, toad farming requires a certain level of skill. If you have some toad farming expertise, achieve large-scale toad farming, and then understand techniques such as toad venom extraction, toad skin collection, and processing, the economic benefits can be substantial.
Can toad farming really make money?
1. Costs: 1,000 toads of 100 grams each, at 5 yuan per jin, totaling 500 yuan. A farming site for 1,000 toads requires 300 sq m, with site rent of about 300 yuan. Surrounding it with plastic film to prevent escape costs about 500 yuan. The skin-shedding site costs about 2,000 yuan. Feed and management costs are calculated at 5,000 yuan. Total investment cost is 500 yuan + 300 yuan + 500 yuan + 2,000 yuan + 5,000 yuan = 8,300 yuan.
2. Income: One live toad can yield toad skin from April to October each year, shedding at least two pieces of skin per month. 1,000 toads can produce 12,000 pieces of toad skin in 6 months. Calculated at 0.3 grams per piece, this yields 3.6 kg of toad skin. At an intact-skin rate of 80%, this yields 2.88 kg of whole toad skin, at a minimum of 10,000 yuan per kg, for income of 28,800 yuan. Thin skin produced is 0.72 kg, at a minimum of 6,000 yuan per kg, for income of 4,320 yuan. That is, using 1,000 toads for one year to collect toad skin can earn 33,120 yuan.
3. Profit: 33,120 yuan - 8,300 yuan = 24,820 yuan. If the toads are larger, the farming benefits will be even higher.
Extension: Toad farming techniques
1. Site construction: Set up a fence 1 m high around the toad farm, with the area determined by scale. Leave open space in or beside the pond to plant lawn or vegetables, put in an appropriate amount of aquatic plants, and at the same time raise yellow mealworms, fly maggots, and earthworms or install lights to attract insects to increase feed.
2. Artificial breeding: Capture and raise Bufo gargarizans, Bufo raddei, and Duttaphrynus melanostictus as breeding stock. Adult toads lay eggs at 10°C, about 5,000 eggs each time. Place them in a hatching pond, and at a water temperature of 18 to 24°C, tadpoles hatch after 3 to 4 days. Strengthen feeding.
3. Stocking density: 2,000 to 4,000 small tadpoles per sq m, reduced to 500 to 1,000 after 20 days; 30 to 40 young toads. At the same time, raise them in separate ponds and groups according to different developmental stages.
4. Feed preparation: Newly hatched tadpoles are fed fresh, palatable feed such as cooked egg yolk and water fleas after 5 days, twice a day. Young toads are fed fly maggots, earthworms, yellow mealworms, and chlorella feed. Adult toads have a large appetite and can be given compound feed such as soybean cake, bran, flour, and fish meal.