Simple Turtle Farming Handbook

Author: Ding Lei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: The true artificial turtle farming in mainland China began after 1978. After more than 20 years of effort, by 1998, the annual output of turtles in mainland China had reached 62,000 tons, and turtles had become the primary specialty aquatic product in inland waters of China. Due to the rapid development of the turtle farming industry, the supply of products has gradually increased, and the market psychology of consumers and operators has become more mature. The price of turtles, which was once "sky-high" in the early 1990s, has begun to decline and gradually returned to normal. Turtle products have moved from being consumed within a limited scope to entering ordinary households. The production and sales of turtles have shifted from a seller's market to a buyer's market. As a result, some people believe that turtle farming is no longer viable and is not profitable. Is this really the case? In my opinion, there are two main reasons for this perception: first, people feel that the current market price of turtles is low, and compared to the "golden age," it is like night and day—the profits are too small to justify the investment; second, due to the lack of necessary technical guidance, inappropriate farming methods have been adopted, resulting in low survival rates of adult turtles and high farming costs, leading to actual losses. It is natural to have such reasons and thoughts. Currently, the market price of turtles is a mature and stable price under the regulation of market laws. Under such price control, as long as practitioners apply reasonable farming methods and master scientific farming techniques based on the existing foundation, turtle farming still holds great potential. To improve the technical level and economic benefits of the turtle farming industry and provide farmers with essential technical guidance, this "A Concise Guide to Turtle Farming" has been written based on many years of farming practice and referencing a large number of recent publications.
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