Farmers in Yen Thanh district are earning money by going to the fields, using flashlights to hunt for rice paddy crabs for just a few hours.
Travelling on National Highway 7B which runs through Yen Thanh district from 8.30 PM to 9.30 PM, we can see a number of places where rice field crabs are bought in the communes of Nam Thanh, Bac Thanh, Xuan Thanh, Cong Thanh, and so on. At each location, the sellers are the locals ranging from middle-aged women to teenagers who can be seen walking with rubber boots, wearing headlamps and carrying plastic buckets filled with rice field crabs. Their hands and legs are covered in mud.
Nguyen Thi Thom - a rice field crab trader in Bac Thanh commune said that she must send the crabs on a passenger bus to Hanoi for consumption by 9.30 PM. Therefore, she collects the crabs every night between 8.30 and 9.30 PM. Accordingly, the farmers start going to the fields from sunset until this timeframe. Regardless of the quantity of rice field crabs they get, everyone brings them to sell to the traders and receives immediate payment.
“Due to the hot and sunny weather in recent days, the demand for using rice field crabs in food processing has increased, causing a sharp rise in prices, with some days reaching up to VND 120,000 per kilogram. However, during this period, there aren't as many crabs available from the fields compared to the time before April, there is not sufficient supply to meet customer demand”, said Thom.
Nguyen Thi Mai, a farmer in Tang Thanh commune, shared that the tools used for catching rice field crabs are simple, requiring only a headlamp and a plastic bucket. When spotting crabs in the water, she catches them using her bare hands. However, when going to the fields, everyone must wear close-fitting knee-high boots to avoid snake bites and stepping on sharp objects.
"At night, snakes often come out in search of food, especially the highly venomous black and white snakes. Accidentally stepping on a snake can have unpredictable consequences. Therefore, everyone wears a pair of boots", Mai explained.
With many years of experience in catching rice field crabs at night, Mai consistently manages to catch a substantial quantity. In recent days, she has been able to catch over 2 kilograms every night, selling them on the spot to traders for VND 100,000 - 120,000 per kilogram, with some batches reaching over 250,000 dong.
"My husband works as a laborer, and I take care of household chores. In the evenings, I go to the fields to catch crabs, earning extra money to support our livelihood. For a farmer like me, earning a few hundred thousand dong per day is enough to buy food," shared Mai.
According to the rice field crab traders, since the beginning of June, the intense hot weather has led to a high demand for using crabs in the preparation of dishes in Hanoi. As a result, in the rural areas of Yen Thanh, all crabs available are being consumed.
However, during this period, the quantity of rice field crabs is lower compared to the earlier months, resulting in fewer quantity caught by the local residents. Each trader can only purchase slightly less than 100 kilograms of crabs per night, causing a shortage of supply for customer orders.
Rice field crabs caught by the local residents in the fields develop naturally, ensuring their quality. They are highly preferred by consumers for preparing nutritious and refreshing dishes, especially during the summer.
Rice field crabs are a traditional and nutritious food. They are not only used to create a variety of delicious dishes such as rice vermicelli with crab, crab soup, crab hotpot, etc., but they also provide numerous nutritional benefits for human health. Rice field crabs can help promote blood circulation and wound healing, prevent osteoporosis and rickets, and help cool down the body in hot weather.
