Vietnam’s agriculture will be destroyed once the earthworms are exhausted, making the land no longer fertile, crops are stunted, and productivity will be low for a long time.
According to the Cong an Nhan dan newspaper, Director of the Department of Crop Production Nguyen Nhu Cuong under Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, admitted that in many localities people use strong electric currents to catch soil worms and that activity could harm soil, fauna and micro-organisms.
This situation has been happening for a long time and has recently become serious in some northern provinces such as Hoa Binh, Son La, Lao Cai, and Thanh Hoa…
Specifically, each kilogram of fresh earthworms is currently purchased for between VND70,000 and VND80,000; A few years ago, when there was a movement to catch earthworms for sale, the price was only about half.
A group of electric shocks to capture earthworms can collect several hundred kilograms of earthworms per night. In the past, earthworm catchers used 1500 volt jacks; but even the excitation power can triple to 4,500 volts.
Fresh earthworms are sold to local kilns, and the produce is sold to Chinese traders. And the price per kilogram of dried earthworms is from VND1 million to VND1.2 million; even up to VND1.5 million.
Vietnam has witnessed waves of Chinese traders rushing to buy products such as buffalo/cow hooves, leeches, pepper roots, cashew leaves, fresh litchi leaves, etc., leading to serious long-term economic and environmental consequences.
Thoibao.de (Translated)
