Raising river snails in paddy fields: farmers in Fuluo Town, Zhaoping County, Guangxi, have a clever way to get rich

On April 27, after climbing along a mountain path for more than half an hour, this writer followed Li Chengyuan, head of the Aquatic Animal and Livestock Veterinary Station of Fuluo Town, Zhaoping County, to Jiuliao Group in Fuqiang Village, Fuluo Town, and more than 10 “ponds” came into view. Calling them ponds, you can see the bottom at a glance, with a water surface of only about 20 to 30 cm; they also look a bit like paddy fields, because many river snails are crawling inside.

“This used to be mountain valley fields that had been left abandoned for two or three years. Now it is my river snail pond.” said Lin Hengchu, a farmer. He used abandoned fields in the mountain valley and converted them to raise river snails, which is both simple and practical and can bring fairly good economic returns.

“After working away from home for many years, not only was no one farming my own family's fields, but I also saw that many of other people's fields had been left abandoned, and I felt it was such a pity.” Lin Hengchu said with emotion. His family had made a living by farming for generations. Although he later earned some money working away from home, he had also let the ancestral livelihood left by his forebears go to waste, so he thought about finding a way to “revive” the fields.

In a chance encounter in 2014, while eating a late-night snack in the city with friends, he heard the snack stall owner complain that river snails were scarce and that the purchase price was high. The speaker meant no harm, but the listener took it to heart. Under the guidance of aquatic animal and livestock technicians from the county and town, Lin Hengchu and several villagers transferred more than 20 mu of abandoned fields in the mountain valley and began raising river snails.

“As long as you stock them once in the first year, you can harvest river snails every year after that.” Lin Hengchu said. Everyone knows that river snails grow quickly and reproduce strongly, and they can easily be seen around ordinary field edges, rivers and canals, so raising river snails is also much simpler than raising other animals. It is understood that raising river snails can yield about 1,000 kg per mu per year. Calculated at a price of 8 yuan per jin, the income per mu exceeds 10,000 yuan.

“Using paddy fields to raise river snails has advantages such as fast growth, a short cycle, few diseases and convenient management. You only need to feed them once every two or three days, directly with a little fermented chicken manure, pig manure and other farmyard manure. Feeding and care are quite simple.” farmer Li Shiyao told this writer. Therefore, one person can manage nearly 10 mu of river snail fields without affecting farm work or household chores at home at all.

Li Chengyuan, head of the Aquatic Animal and Livestock Veterinary Station of Fuluo Town, who accompanied us, said that this is diverted mountain spring water. The clean water quality ensures the quality of the river snails and can also maintain the temperature of the farming water at any time. It not only achieves good economic returns but also protects cultivated land. At present, some villagers from Fuluo Village and Niujiao Village in Fuluo Town have also come to visit and are preparing to raise river snails together.