Two farmers in Vietnam are rearing mallard, a species of wild duck, whose meat is a popular item for consumption in the country
Farmer Nguyen Dang Cuong and To Quang Dan raise thousands of mallards in their farms. According to them, meat from mallard ducks are very much in demand locally.
The main ingredients in the food are bran and duckweed mixed together. The birds are alternately fed with industrial food for poultry. The birds usually fly away only to return for food and are fed twice a day by Cuong and Dan.
“It costs me ten wheelbarrows of bran and duckweed a day to make food for the mallards. I give them sufficient food, making them too lazy to fly to seek one elsewhere,” said Cuong.
Bran mixed with duckweed in a certain ratio helps make the meat of mallards tough and fat-free. Cuong said his farm has 40,000 mallards and only baby ducks and the adults ready for sale are kept in ponds covered with nets. Cuong supplies mallards for meat every day to restaurants in Hanoi and other nearby cities for a hefty price.
Demand for mallard meat is on the rise in Vietnam, making it a viable market for other farmers as well.
