“We are making stable earnings from rearing alligators which is a rather easy task for we only need to pay attention to feeding them,” confirmed Mr. Nguyen Van Tao, owner of Dong Trai Alligator Farm at Dong Trai Hamlet, Dinh Hiep Commune, Dau Tieng District.Billions earn a yearThe couple of Mr. Nguyen Van Tao and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Tinh – the owners of Dong Trai Alligator Farm have experienced different careers before ending up with the alligators. In their time of hardship, they could only afford to raise poultries, swines, or buffalo. Family of Mrs. Tinh could earn up to VND 1 billion a year thanks to rearing alligators by 2008, after hearing from a friend that alligator rearing could yield high income, he made a long trip to Tay Ninh Province to investigate for himself.Seeing the simple alligator rearing with high income, he decided to sell 6 buffalos to invest VND 45 million to alligator rearing. After completing construction of the farmstead, he used up the money to buy 73 alligators for rearing. However, due to inexprience rearing, 23 alligators died.By doing his homework and drawing lessons from his own experience, Mr. Tao continued to raise up the remaining 50 alligators without any challenges. And, over a year, the trading of the first 50 alligators gave him VND 150 million, of which he earned VND 100 million as net profit which was an impressive amount to him.“I have learned after a year that the other farmsteads were not up to the standard as I had thought,” he said.His farmstead design is rather simple with concrete or tiled floor and a 0.5m deep pond for the alligators to soak in before lying out in a open yard next to it. The surrounding fence includes 1m high of brick wall and 1.2m high of lattice fence.“They just stay still if you don’t tease them. It’s just like rearing poultries or swine but the farmstead is much cleaner. I am confident with our ability to rear them while maintaining the farmstead safety,” said Mrs. Tinh.They choose 25-27 long alligators to rear to adult alligators after being hatched about 20 baby alligators per one plastic bucket in 2 weeks.The alligators are exposed to hard foods such as beheaded baby shrimp in about 1 month before letting them out on tiling floors to be used to rearing environment. About 3 months later, they are put in larger stead for about 2 alligators per 1m2 comparing to 1 per 1m2 of other owners.Currently, 700 alligators are being reared at the farmstead. Alligators reach adulthood in 18 months and in 24 months for weaker alligators.At 18 month old, alligator reaches 20-25kg or even 30kg.Currently, one seeding alligator is worth VND 320,000 and their meat at VND 140,000 per kg. Annually, one to two breeding of alligators could be sold out for stage-on-stage rearing. By the middle of 2013, as informed by Mrs. Tinh, her family has earned VND 1 billion for the trading. By now, they have bought 1 mini van to carry foods for alligators and bought another land lot to rear poultries as food supply to the alligators.The work of leisure“I thought it should require much efforts; however, it’s more easier for even an elder can do it. For our farmstead, we only need two to arrange everything,” said Mrs. Tinh.Alligators are fed twice a week with water change once a week. The food supply simply includes chicken, fish, and swine lung which are cheap; however, the food supply should be maintained to prevent starving.The left-over foods should be cleared out every 2 days. Mrs. Tinh also disclosed that she had to feed every alligator by chopping up the foods to fit their mouths for stronger alligators may dominate the food of the weaker ones.The farmstead of Mr. Tao and Mrs. TInh is one of the biggest farmsteads in Dau Tieng District. Currently, they are requesting for expansion of the farmstead to 300m2 more to expand the herd.“Many people came to me to learn the rearing model. For everyone, I show them all the ways to get rich by rearing the alligators,” said Mrs. Tinh.Reported by Cao Son – Dinh Hau – Translated by Vi Bao