(VAN) The Belgian Blue Beef (BBB) Breed that is famous for its impressive height, muscling and beautiful shape could bring much higher income in comparison to traditional purebred cows.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused difficulties to many cattle breeding households, but Nguyen Xuan Quyen’s that raise BBB Breed in Tho Loc Dong Village, Tinh Ha Commune, Son Tinh District in Quang Ngai Province could still earn a high profit of over VND150 million/year.

After years of raising and planting all kinds of trees and cattle that did not bring high economic efficiency, Loc and his wife decided to choose their own direction - raising BBB Breed.

Quyen's cow farm is a long barn covering a total area of 300 square meters, built high and airy, with a closed rearing process in Vuon Hiet area, Tho Loc Dong Village, Tinh Ha Commune. It is designed into 3 separate and extended stables; each barn includes 7 BBB cows that weigh from 3 - 4 quintals each.

“We were reluctant on seeing the strange shape and color of the breed at first, but after a period of trial raising, we found that the profit was higher than that of traditional cows, so we have boldly invested over VND170 million in extending the barn with a concentrated scale of 20-24 cows per year,” Quyen said.

Quyen added that black BBB cow breed has a tall body, beautiful shape, impressive muscle development and much heavier weight than that of the old cow breed that the family raised before. The super meat breed could also yield an income that is 2-3 times higher.

This is a breed of beef with a high percentage of carcass and delicious meat, meeting the strict demands of the market. The BBB breed has many outstanding advantages such as voracious appetite, quick growth, high selling price, so he decided to increase the herd despite the recent influence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the technical help and supported materials of Tinh Ha Commune Farmers' Association, Quyen has become an increasingly professional farmer in the local beef cattle sector. Breeding cows have been bought from both inside and outside the locality. After purchasing, he implements veterinary hygiene measures, deworming, and vaccinations.

Breeding BBB cows demands low cost thanks to advantages of many local agricultural by-products. Photo: Thu Phuong.

In order to raise quality cows, Quyen’s family take advantage of the surrounding by-products to raise livestock such as planting cattle feed as a source of food for cows, thus reducing investment costs.

In addition to using cow dung to exchange straw for cows, he also feeds cows with hay, fresh grass, fermented food from wheat and a little bran to stimulate growth. His barn is airy and spacious enough for cows to walk, sunbathe, and easily digest food.

According to Quyen, raising the cows in cages does not take much work and effort. Every day, they clean the barn and feed the cattle two meals a day without having to herd. The newly bought cows are about 5-6 months old, weigh from 80 to over 100 kg and cost about VND20 million each.

The cow could reach up to 400kg after 12 months of raising and each could be sold at over VND 37 million.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the price of BBB cows is lower than before but could still reach VND20 million each.

After 1 year, Quyen could sell each BBB cow at VND37-38 million and earn a profit of over VND 7 million each after excluding all costs.

On average, each year he sells at least 20-22 cows, earning a profit of over VND 150 million.

Authors: Thu Phuong - Kim Cuc
Translated by Phuong Ha