Raising Loaches in Rice Paddies: An Easy Path to Wealth

Have you ever heard of a good deal like this: one mu of rice paddy can produce "a thousand jin of grain and ten thousand yuan in cash"? Raising loaches in the paddy is the real-life version of getting rich this way.

At the planting base in Shangyang Village, Shizhu Town, Yongkang, Zhejiang, nets have been stretched over some of the rice paddies. Supported by several wooden stakes around the field ridges, the fish net covers the paddy from above. On one side of the field, a 2-meter-wide deep-water ditch ripples with splashes as gleaming white loaches tumble up and down.

According to Yang Zhangwei, after careful consideration the cooperative actively introduced the new project of raising loaches in rice paddies this year, promoted breeding experience among its members, and provided door-to-door service so as to increase members' returns per mu. The loaches raised in the earlier phase will be brought to market in batches from November to March of next year. That period is the peak season for loaches, when even the smallest loaches can sell for 20 yuan/jin, and larger ones fetch even higher prices.

In April this year, they began exploring and trying out raising loaches in rice paddies

"These large pits are 2 meters wide and 80 cm deep. The loaches live in the pits during the day and swim into the rice paddy at night to forage. The nets are put up to prevent birds from stealing them." said Yang Zhangwei, head of the Qingqing Fish and Shrimp Cooperative. In mid-April this year, under the guidance of the Municipal Water Resources Bureau, more than 30 members of the Qingqing Fish and Shrimp Cooperative released loach fry into nearly 100 mu of organic rice paddies, beginning the experiment of raising loaches in rice paddies.

"There's no real risk, so it's worth a try," said Yang Yanhong, a villager from Shangyang Village. "The loaches are raised starting in mid-April, at 60 jin per mu. Someone helps check on the loach farming, and the ditching, purchase of fry and feed are all done collectively. If there really is a market risk and they can't be sold, the cooperative will also buy them back at a guaranteed minimum price."

Talking about the benefits of raising loaches, Yang Yanhong even carefully did the math: buying fry costs 40 yuan per kilogram, more than 1,200 yuan in cost per mu; raising them to sale size requires 200 kilograms of feed, costing more than 1,500 yuan in feed; plus some other expenses, the total cost is estimated at 4,000 yuan. Putting in 100 jin of fry can yield 500 jin of loaches. Sold at 20 yuan/jin, that brings in 10,000 yuan. Subtract 4,000 yuan, and you can earn 6,000 yuan.

"This year I raised loaches in 12 mu of paddies. Under the normal plan, that can add 60,000 yuan in income," Yang Yanhong said happily. "When you raise loaches in rice paddies, they can eat the natural bait in the paddy and also loosen the soil to promote fertilizer decomposition, increasing paddy yield and rice quality. It's much more worthwhile than raising fish. Moreover, besides the income from loaches, we can still harvest 1,000 jin of rice per mu, spray less pesticide, and sell at a higher price than ordinary rice. That's also income that cannot be ignored."

Raising loaches in lotus fields costs even less

According to Yang Zhangwei, after careful consideration the cooperative actively introduced the new project of raising loaches in rice paddies this year, promoted breeding experience among its members, and provided door-to-door service so as to increase members' returns per mu. The loaches raised in the earlier phase will be brought to market in batches from November to March of next year. That period is the peak season for loaches, when even the smallest loaches can sell for 20 yuan/jin, and larger ones fetch even higher prices.

"Others raise them in rice paddies, but my family raises them in lotus fields, and at a higher stocking density with better returns," said Zhou Zidong of Shangyang Village, both hands pressed on the water pipe in the pond. After retiring from his work unit, he raised fish and grew lotus and water caltrop near the village. Hearing that loaches were profitable, he stocked 130 kilograms of fry in more than 1 mu of lotus field and 15 kilograms in half a mu of water caltrop. After receiving guidance from experts, he specially installed an automatic drainage system in the paddy field to make it easy to store and change water.

To enrich the loaches' diet, he also raised many maggots in accumulated pig manure, and regularly brought back leftovers from nearby businesses, feeding them meat and vegetarian dry feed on a rotating schedule twice a day. Under his careful care, the little creatures in the pond were noticeably plumper than those of other families.

"Their family is clever about raising loaches. With this kind of integrated farming, the cost is 2/3 less than others', and the loaches grow fast too," Yang Zhangwei said.

Many birds in the evening, so they set off firecrackers to protect the loaches

After 2 months of exploration, the members had sorted out the basics of raising loaches, but birds stealing them and people stealing them were a real headache.

"At night, tie up 2 dogs in the field, otherwise you won't even know when they've all been stolen," Zhou Zidong said. Last year, his relatives also raised loaches, and in the end all of them were stolen. "A battery can stun loaches too effectively. Just gently dip it into the water to probe, and the loaches all float up. The theft tools are simple and the speed is fast, so it's hard to guard against!" Zhou Zidong said helplessly.

Besides people stealing them, birds coming to forage is also a worry. Other people spend 400 yuan per mu to cover the field with fish netting, and one investment can be used for 4 years. However, his lotus pond is not square-shaped, so investing in fish netting costs more.

Besides stretching nets to keep birds out, he recently came up with a method of his own. There are many birds in the evening, so Zhou Zidong quietly hides under a large tree with firecrackers and waits. Every 20 minutes, when he sees a flock of small birds about to dive down to catch loaches, he quickly lights a string of firecrackers. "This method is quite effective, it's just a bit tiring for the person."