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Farmer finds fortune in frogs
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Frogs may turn into princes only in fairy tales, but in real life one farmer living in Soc Son district, Ha Noi has found that frogs can also easily turn into huge profits.
Once a poor farmer, Le Son became a millionaire from raising frogs after mastering the craft of raising the amphibians at a frog farm in the central province of Ha Tinh.
With strong support from his wife, Son’s frog business was off to a smooth start.
But soon Son had problems with erratic growth rates. Some frogs grew very fast, some very slow. Sometimes, they died en masse from diseases.
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Le Son’s frog raising farm has helped him become a millionaire after mastering the craft of raising the amphibians in the central province of Ha Tinh.—VNA/VNS Photo Dinh Na |
The already hard life of Son’s family became worse, but it did not prevent him from pursuing his plan.
Son decided to visit other farms and read books to add to his knowledge about frogs. With some hard work and plenty of determination, his business started to turn a profit, and now Son has decided to expand production.
"Raising frogs is not difficult, but a very important tip is that the raiser should know about frog’s habits," said Son.
"If you have a deep inspiration for what you’re doing, this will help you overcome difficulties and challenges.
"Raising frogs is a very lucrative business."
Son said the current price for one kilogram of frogs at the market is VND35,000 (US$2.1). To produce 1,000kg of frogs, Son said about six sq.m are required and the cost of feeding the frogs is extremely low. But diseases posed the greatest threat.
"Frog raisers should be proactive in disease prevention and treatment for the little animals," he said.
"Sanitation and good nutrition are the two key principles in the business."
Son has made the best use of the wet land in his farm to raise frogs, fish and eels.
"I decided to raise fish and eels in the same pond with the frogs as they will eat the left over feed from the frogs," he said.
Son also grows fruit trees and raises poultry, with his business’s total profits for 2006 reaching more than VND140 million ($87,000).
Surprisingly in the first month of 2007, Son earned more than VND400 million ($250,000), a triple increase compared with total revenue he earned in the previous year.
Shared experiences
Though Son has become a billionaire from raising frogs, he was delighted to share his experiences with other farmers.
He said his home telephone is always busy as so many people want to ask for his advice.
"For people coming from far away to buy tadpoles, I offer them some money for their transport fees," he said.
"For disadvantaged children including Agent Orange victims or disabled children wanting to raise frogs, I often give them the tadpoles for free.
"I take pride in helping people in need," Son added.
For each tadpole, Son charges between VND700-800, and offers a 10-day warranty. With this low price and high quality, Son’s tadpoles sell like hot cakes.
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