Hello all,

Firstly let me apologise as this question (or similar) has probably been asked a thousand times on here before. I have used the search and not found what I am looking for.

I have 2 Rai of riverfront land near Vientiane and am always being told by the locals that a fish farm is the obvious (and very profitable) choice of business. I have always fobbed this off and just forgotten about it, until now.

I have no experience of fish farming whatsoever so feel free to tell me to forget about it and do something else instead.

However if somebody could give any info or point me in the right direction on this forum I would very much appreciate it.

There are various farms on the same river and they seem to do well from what I can see. Distribution of said fish is something I have looked at in the local area and this seems to be viable.

I am seeking information about the starting blocks needed for such an operation.

Best Regards.

I guess you are referring to a cage farm,as you cant own the river,then permission from the relevant authority in Laos would be the first step.

"Very profitable " may be a bit of an overstatement because in nets you have to provide all the fishes food requirements.

I dont think any members are involved in cage growing ,so your best bet would be to seek out a friendly local grower and pick their brains.

Thanks for your reply ozzydom.

I didn't know of the term 'cage growing' but yes, that is what I am talking about. The 100m of river directly in front of the plot we have is within the boundaries of the plot and the Mrs has been to talk with the local authorities about this, their answer was 'no problem'. If we do go ahead and make a farm then they come round and inspect it before giving us the go ahead.

I guess we will need to get on the boat and pop up and down the river to look for a friendly local and get some starting tips.

Thanks again.

Found a good website for starters http://www.fao.org/docrep/t0581e/T0581E0h.htm#16. Producing fish in cages

River front land near Vientiane? Gotta be a lot more money in opening a guest house or restaurant or something!!

River front land near Vientiane? Gotta be a lot more money in opening a guest house or restaurant or something!!

But then you have to deal with people, much prefer animals personally

I'm on the mekong as well, north of Wattay airport.

Have been watching my neighbors dealing with caged fish farms for 4 years and it's a lot of work, especially carrying and buying a bunch of 50kg bags of pellets for the fish, feeding them 2-3 or more times a day. (one neighbor bought 2 4WD since I'm here but it's a pretty large operation and the whole family lives literally on the farm)

Fish seedlings are cheap, but there is a loss of up to 40% in the rainy season due to low oxygen in the water (i'm confident there's a cheap way to reduce this figure!) - farmed fish goes for 15.000 kip /kg (2011) - do consider that the Lao buy from family members (pinong) even if it's a more expensive option (e.g. from a cousins market stall) - who will buy from you? and at what price?

2 years ago my Lao friend quit farming fish and moved to Gop (Frog) farming using the same fish cages (only added floating elements and shade), I noticed it was a lot less work, cheaper, no loss and the end product sells for more. here are the numbers:

2010 bought 6000 baby Gop for 200 kip each - a few months later was selling them 20-22.000 kip a kilo

2011 bought 10.000 for 250 kip each and sold for 25.000 kip a kilo

People would call or show up from market / food shop and pickup a few bags everyday for a few weeks (an adult Gop will reach 600+ grams surprisingly quickly) some would make their way down and 'borrow' a couple for free!

Just one guy handling the whole operation, feeding the animals is real easy and cheap: they feed mostly from the mekong and about 1 bag of pellets (the same previously fed to the fish), at the most every day or other day (?)

Sounds to me like Gop is the way to go and on most menus here in vientiane. I would definitely check with the Nai Baan beforehand and make sure someone is buying (check with your local Thalat/Market) - but you can always start small with minimal risk (perhaps around $500).

With the new road being build you could probably buy some cages from someone moving on to a new business.

don't hesitate to PM me for more info ;-)

C.

Thanks for the info Hopdafru,

After speaking with some local cage farmers near my place I can see the problems you listed above, seems like too much of a headache for me. I will look into the frog idea now. My place is on the Nam Ngum not the Mekhong.

Thanks again for the heads up.

Lots of Thai frog info on the net, also a good thread on here somewhere, a bit old, but a goodie. Beware, frog farms are bloody loud.

Cheers haveaniceday, I think you mean this link http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/199164-anyone-have-hands-on-experience-with-frog-farming/page__hl__frog%20farm

Just something to mindful of, read James's post here on the Forum ...

Being located directly on the river is a double edged sword ... easy for the locals to assist themselves of a sample of your products.

To the OP ... lovelaos ...

What did you decide to do in the end?

To the OP ... lovelaos ...

What did you decide to do in the end?

Get divorced and sell the land

555