Ngoc Chien Aquatic Cooperative, Muong La district, raises humpback carp on a hydroelectric lake.

In July 2022, Mr. Quang Van Hoang, Khau Vai village, mobilized a number of households in the village to join together to establish Ngoc Chien aquatic cooperative, with him as director, with a charter capital of more than 1 billion VND. Up to now, the cooperative has 7 members, raising 20 fish cages; of which, there are 12 cages of humpback carp, the rest are catfish and grass carp. During its operation, the cooperative received 100 million VND in support from the district; specialized agencies of the district supported the construction and design of packaging, labels, and traceability stamps for products... Thanks to cage fish farming, the cooperative members have had a stable life.

Taking us to visit the fish cage area on the Nam Chien hydroelectric reservoir, Mr. Hoang said: Previously, carp were caught naturally by locals on Chien stream. To meet the culinary needs of tourists, locals invested in building fish cages and discovered that carp raised here have different characteristics compared to those raised in other areas, such as long and thick bodies, slightly humped backs, black skin, fins, tails and corners of the mouth are light yellow. The fish have few small bones and very soft bones. This type of carp can be processed into many dishes, such as: Pa pinh top, fried or deep-fried, steamed, braised in clay pot, cooked in sour soup, fish salad... Each dish has its own unique flavor, but all retain their own sweet and delicious taste.

Providing quality and safe humpback carp products to consumers, the cooperative focuses on controlling the selection of breeds and feed for the fish. The carp breeds are imported by the cooperative from reputable hatcheries in Son La city and Yen Bai province. The fish feed is completely natural, such as corn flour... In addition to providing fresh fish, the cooperative is processing smoked humpback carp products. After being caught, the fish will be gutted and washed, drained; cut into pieces, marinated with chili, mac khen,... for about 15-20 minutes. Then, hang it on the kitchen shelf, use wood to smoke for about 24 hours, then continue to steam the fish until cooked, the product is vacuum-sealed. When using, just put the fish in the microwave for about 7 minutes, or grill it again on charcoal. In June 2024, the cooperative's smoked humpback carp product was recognized as a 3-star OCOP product.

Mr. Quàng Văn Hồng, a member of the cooperative, shared: When we were encouraged to join the cooperative, my family contributed more than 200 million VND with other members of the cooperative to invest in building cages, buying fish fry and food. The members are always united and actively learn from effective models in the districts to apply to production. Regularly check and reinforce the cages; invest in additional floating tanks, replace old and torn nets; supplement food to increase the fish's resistance, regularly clean the cages, ensuring an environment for the fish to grow healthily.

Raising humpback carp brings in twice the income compared to raising normal carp. Currently, the selling price of humpback carp of the cooperative is based on weight; in which, fish from 0.5 kg to more than 1 kg, selling price is 160 thousand VND/kg; fish 2 kg, selling price is 180 thousand VND/kg; fish under 0.5 kg is 300 thousand VND/kg. For smoked humpback carp products, selling price is 500 thousand VND/kg; fresh vacuum-packed fish is 160 thousand VND/kg. With the current selling price, according to the cooperative's calculation, each humpback carp cage brings in an income of 35-40 million VND/year; after deducting costs, the profit is 15 million VND/cage/year.

Mr. Quang Van Hoang, Director of Ngoc Chien Aquaculture Cooperative, added: Raising humpback carp on Nam Chien hydroelectric lake must be done well in disease prevention, especially during the transition from spring to summer. In addition, cages must be cleaned regularly and lime powder sprinkled on the water surface. In order to exploit the potential and advantages of the locality in economic development, the Cooperative hopes to receive attention and support in transferring science and technology; promoting and introducing products to supermarket systems, stores selling agricultural products and safe food, contributing to building the Ngoc Chien clean fish brand.

According to: Son La Newspaper