Crayfish farming technique proves successful in paddy fields
2023-07-11 18:07:00
By Yan Wanqin, Yichang International Communication Studio
In Weibi Village, the rice-crayfish farming system is not only creating a more beautiful scenery but also bringing in more income for farmers.
Hu Bixin, who was experimenting with this co-farming system over a 40-hectare area of land, said the output value of his cooperative was more than 1 million yuan (US$138,842) in 2022.
Hu started this project in 2017 and now runs it through a cooperative. He has trained more than 270 locals and provides them with technical support.
The core of the system involves growing rice and raising crayfish within the same paddy field, creating a mutualistic relationship.
Liu Yunfa, an expert at the Yichang Agricultural Technology Extension Center, said: "The model has a yield of 150 to 200 kilograms of crayfish and 500 kilograms of rice per mu (0.07 hectare), providing an additional profit of 1,500 to 2,000 yuan per mu compared to growing rice alone."
According to Hu, rice-crayfish co-farming has reduced pests, disease, and the usage of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The practice also helps to improve soil fertility and enhance productivity, he added.
As an efficient, profitable, and environmental-friendly way of farming, Yichang has applied the technique across Dangyang, Zhijiang, Yidu and Yuan'an counties.
The rice-crayfish system is only one of many co-farming systems now promoted in China, including rice-fish, rice-crab and rice-duck.
In 2022, the total area of rice-crayfish farming reached 1.57 million hectares, accounting for almost 55 percent of the national comprehensive rice-fish farming area. Hubei, Anhui, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Sichuan and Henan provinces accounted for more than 97 percent of the total rice-crayfish area.
In Weibi Village, the rice-crayfish farming system is not only creating a more beautiful scenery but also bringing in more income for farmers.
A bird’s-eye view of rice-crayfish paddy fields.
Hu Bixin, who was experimenting with this co-farming system over a 40-hectare area of land, said the output value of his cooperative was more than 1 million yuan (US$138,842) in 2022.
Hu started this project in 2017 and now runs it through a cooperative. He has trained more than 270 locals and provides them with technical support.
The core of the system involves growing rice and raising crayfish within the same paddy field, creating a mutualistic relationship.
Liu Yunfa, an expert at the Yichang Agricultural Technology Extension Center, said: "The model has a yield of 150 to 200 kilograms of crayfish and 500 kilograms of rice per mu (0.07 hectare), providing an additional profit of 1,500 to 2,000 yuan per mu compared to growing rice alone."
According to Hu, rice-crayfish co-farming has reduced pests, disease, and the usage of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The practice also helps to improve soil fertility and enhance productivity, he added.
As an efficient, profitable, and environmental-friendly way of farming, Yichang has applied the technique across Dangyang, Zhijiang, Yidu and Yuan'an counties.
The rice-crayfish system is only one of many co-farming systems now promoted in China, including rice-fish, rice-crab and rice-duck.
In 2022, the total area of rice-crayfish farming reached 1.57 million hectares, accounting for almost 55 percent of the national comprehensive rice-fish farming area. Hubei, Anhui, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Sichuan and Henan provinces accounted for more than 97 percent of the total rice-crayfish area.
