Integrated fish-duck farming helps farmers in Chengmai County, Hainan broaden their path to prosperity
On the morning of October 23, the Chengmai County Party Committee and County Government of Hainan Province held an on-site meeting in Yongfa Town to promote the integrated fish-duck farming model. County Party Secretary Yang Sitao, County Mayor Chen Xiaobo, leaders of the county's four major bodies, and heads of all townships attended the meeting. Through on-site visits, they gained a further understanding of some successful practices and experience achieved by Yongfa Town in adjusting the industrial structure and increasing farmers' incomes, and will promote them throughout the county.
It is understood that since 2004, the Yongfa Town Party Committee and Town Government have actively guided farmers to boldly adjust the industrial structure, making full use of the favorable conditions of Yongfa area's many hill ponds, wide mountain valleys and abundant water resources, innovating the farming model by raising meat ducks on the water surface and farming freshwater fish beneath the water in integrated fish-duck farming, and using the manure discharged by the meat ducks as fish feed. This not only reduces the cost of fish farming but also solves the problem of livestock and poultry manure pollution. If the price of meat ducks is affected by weak market conditions and causes losses in duck farming, then the income from fish can make up for part of it, so the farming risk is relatively reduced. With this model of rearing, when the market price of meat ducks is stable, farmers can both make money from raising ducks and increase their fish income. Integrated duck-fish farming yields more than twice the economic benefit of single-species farming, and the rearing benefit is quite remarkable.
In August 2004, with the attention and support of the Chengmai County Party Committee and County Government and under the guidance of the County Animal Husbandry Bureau, farmers independently organized and established Chengmai County's first fish-duck farming association. Its approach was: the association signs a support agreement with farmers, then the association provides seedlings, feed and technology free of charge; when the farmers have raised the fish and ducks to market size, the association is responsible for contacting customers to help with sales, and finally deducts the cost of seedlings and feed from the sales income.
The establishment of the association opened up a new path for integrated duck-fish farming. The implementation of this model promoted the rapid development of the duck-raising industry in Chengmai County. By 2008, the county's meat duck rearing volume had exceeded 13 million birds, accounting for about one-fifth of the province's rearing volume; annual production of improved-breed ducklings was more than 18 million birds, accounting for more than one-quarter of the province's total, and the meat duck rearing volume had more than doubled compared with 2004. It became Hainan Province's largest production base for meat ducks and breeding ducks. In addition to meeting the county's own needs, its products also established a sales network for meat ducks across the island, with products mainly sold to more than 10 cities and counties including Haikou, Sanya, Danzhou, Baisha and Changjiang. The Chengmai Xinwu Duck brand enjoys great renown throughout the province. Total fish production has reached 60 million kg, an increase of 86% over 2004.