Pet turtle business grows local village economy
2024-12-03 19:12:27
By Chen Si. Jie Xingwei, Chen Xiaoyuan and Guo Lin also contributed to this article.
In China, turtles symbolize longevity and good luck. Several turtle species have become popular options for pets thanks to their mild character and unique shell patterns. In Yichang, more than 300 households in Tongtai Village breed pet turtles as a family business, now selling more than 10 million turtles yearly and achieving a total annual output value of 600 million yuan (US$82.4 million).
Since the 1990s, villagers in Tongtai Village have been exploring the pet turtle breeding business, but were not able to scale it up.
In 2017, villager Wen Kaidi graduated from university and returned home to learn turtle breeding from his father. He started to sell turtles through e-commerce platforms and livestreaming, which significantly increased sales.
Following in Wen’s footsteps, fellow villagers began to use their backyards, balconies, unused rooms and other various spaces to create breeding pools and greenhouses. The scale of the turtle breeding industry began to grow.
Villager Tong Yan has been breeding pet turtles for 13 years. This year, she sold nearly 20,000 turtles and earned 3 million yuan. “My greenhouse is 100 square meters and has nine varieties of turtles. Their total value adds up to more than 1 million yuan,” said Tong.
Tong Yan taking care of newly hatched turtle seedlings.
Now, 262 villagers rely on turtle breeding as their livelihood, with an average annual income of at least 300,000 yuan. More than 30 households like Tong's have reached an annual income of more than 3 million yuan.
At present, the village mainly uses greenhouse breeding, where young turtles are bred to a certain size and then are moved to outdoor pools for further growth. This method can shorten the growth cycle of pet turtles by one to two years, greatly improving the economic benefits.
After nearly a decade of development, Tongtai Village now produces more than 20 varieties of pet turtles. They are sold across Beijing, Shanghai and other Chinese cities, as well as Southeast Asia, occupying more than 70 percent of the market share.
To develop the industry further, the village has set up a professional cooperative, Danyang Yingkai Aquaculture. In addition, the village has built an e-commerce center, where more than 10 companies sell turtles year-round.
Last year, the local government began building a pet turtle town. The first phase of construction is already underway.
In China, turtles symbolize longevity and good luck. Several turtle species have become popular options for pets thanks to their mild character and unique shell patterns. In Yichang, more than 300 households in Tongtai Village breed pet turtles as a family business, now selling more than 10 million turtles yearly and achieving a total annual output value of 600 million yuan (US$82.4 million).
Newly hatched turtle seedlings.
Since the 1990s, villagers in Tongtai Village have been exploring the pet turtle breeding business, but were not able to scale it up.
In 2017, villager Wen Kaidi graduated from university and returned home to learn turtle breeding from his father. He started to sell turtles through e-commerce platforms and livestreaming, which significantly increased sales.
Following in Wen’s footsteps, fellow villagers began to use their backyards, balconies, unused rooms and other various spaces to create breeding pools and greenhouses. The scale of the turtle breeding industry began to grow.
Villager Tong Yan has been breeding pet turtles for 13 years. This year, she sold nearly 20,000 turtles and earned 3 million yuan. “My greenhouse is 100 square meters and has nine varieties of turtles. Their total value adds up to more than 1 million yuan,” said Tong.
Tong Yan taking care of newly hatched turtle seedlings.Now, 262 villagers rely on turtle breeding as their livelihood, with an average annual income of at least 300,000 yuan. More than 30 households like Tong's have reached an annual income of more than 3 million yuan.
At present, the village mainly uses greenhouse breeding, where young turtles are bred to a certain size and then are moved to outdoor pools for further growth. This method can shorten the growth cycle of pet turtles by one to two years, greatly improving the economic benefits.
After nearly a decade of development, Tongtai Village now produces more than 20 varieties of pet turtles. They are sold across Beijing, Shanghai and other Chinese cities, as well as Southeast Asia, occupying more than 70 percent of the market share.
To develop the industry further, the village has set up a professional cooperative, Danyang Yingkai Aquaculture. In addition, the village has built an e-commerce center, where more than 10 companies sell turtles year-round.
Last year, the local government began building a pet turtle town. The first phase of construction is already underway.
