Pham Van Be has been running his black soldier fly farm for five years in Duc Hoa District, Long An Province, which borders Saigon to the west. After working as a teacher for more than two decades, he shifted to farming pigeons and snakes before settling on the black soldier flies. The black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens, is a species widely cultivated in many countries. Their larvae are nutrient-rich food for pigs, poultry and seafood. The insect is also used to treat waste in agriculture and craft villages. "From my previous experience in pigeon rearing, I learnt that birds which feed on larvae grow faster. I looked up more information to find that black solider flies are not harmful to the environment and they grow well, so I reared some as an experiment. It was difficult at first because this species is quite hard to find in nature," said 50-year-old entrepreneur. The farm covers an area of 500 square meters that houses 32 enclosures or cages. Be invested more than VND100 … [Read more...] about Flies become a cash cow for Mekong Delta farmer
Mekong delta band
Delta Banks to Prioritize Agriculture
The central bank has instructed banks based in the Mekong Delta to prioritize lending to the catfish and rice sectors following Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung's instructions. The governor of the State Bank of Viet Nam, Nguyen Van Giau, held a meeting with banks and provincial leaders from Tien Giang, Long An, An Giang, Kien Giang, Hau Giang, Tra Vinh, Vinh Long and Lam Dong provinces on August 18-19. He ordered the banks to lend to processors for buying tra and basa catfish and to exporters for buying rice. This comes on top of the VND838 billion (US$50.2 million) they have lent until the end of July to buy 141,596 tons of rice. He told state-owned and joint stock banks to lend to rice buyers at prime rates. The Vietnam Bank for Industry and Trade (VietinBank) has earmarked VND5.5 trillion ($300 million) for lending to firms buying summer-autumn rice for export. The prime rates are expected to be in the band of 19.8 to 20.5 percent per year. These are 0.7 percent per year … [Read more...] about Delta Banks to Prioritize Agriculture
Swiss, Thai bands to be featured in Saigon RockStorm tonight
Two foreign rock bands will add more strong emotions to the 2014 RockStorm festival to hit Ho Chi Minh City tonight. Stevans (Switzerland) and SPF (Thailand) will join four locally famous bands – including Buc Tuong, Microwave, Parasite, and Hac San – to heat up the wild atmosphere at the Military Zone 7 Stadium in Tan Binh District. The festival will kick off at 4:00 pm with sideline activities and the performances of young rock bands. Its main part will begin at 6:00 pm and is scheduled to close at 10:00 pm. The RockStorm earlier swept Hai Phong City in the north, Hue City and Da Nang City in the central region, and Bien Hoa City in the southern part. Primarily intended to create a playground for young Vietnamese, RockStorm has become a much-anticipated event and one of the biggest rock festivals in Vietnam thanks not only to its quality but also to the sideline charity programs. During the last six years, RockStorm has seen the performances of 38 rock bands, … [Read more...] about Swiss, Thai bands to be featured in Saigon RockStorm tonight
American teacher unveils One Direction cover that highlights Vietnam’s Mekong Delta
An American singer/teacher, who is known for his alluring performances of Vietnamese songs, launched on Sunday a cover of a British-Irish pop boy band’s hit song against the background of the Mekong Delta’s rustic scenery. [/caption] … [Read more...] about American teacher unveils One Direction cover that highlights Vietnam’s Mekong Delta
Gmobile replaces Beeline, targets Mekong
Gmobile replaces Beeline, targets MekongVan Oanh By Van Oanh - The Saigon Times Daily HANOI – GTel Mobile JSC has announced its new mobile phone service Gmobile, which replaces the Beeline brand and eyes the Mekong Delta as its key market. The firm purchased shares of Russian firm Vimpelcom, which withdrew from the local market six months ago. Speaking at a ceremony to announce the new brand in Hanoi early this week, Nguyen Van Du, general director of the company, said Gmobile is deploying an investment strategy which focuses on the Mekong Delta instead of nationwide services which were a trait of Beeline in the past. Gmobile targets to become the second mobile service band which local subscribers use in the near future, Du said, adding the brand now has about 3.2 million subscribers. It targets to attract an additional 5 million users before the end of the year, whilst pursuing its goal to become the fourth largest mobile services provider in the nation. It now has a coverage … [Read more...] about Gmobile replaces Beeline, targets Mekong