Two Kelantan Entrepreneurs Tap Potential Of Eel Farming

By Bernama Lifestyle Reporter

TUMPAT, March 24 (Bernama) -- Two friends who embarked on an eel farming venture five years ago initially suffered huge losses when nearly 30,000 eels died due to disease. They also experienced several other setbacks in their efforts to farm the freshwater species. Yet, these challenges have done little to dampen their determination to continue exploring the venture, which they believe holds potential as a new economic opportunity for the country. 

Muhammad Azman Abd Rashid @ Ramli and Muhamad Hairi Ishak today run a thriving eel farm on a 0.4-hectare site in Kampung Banggol Petani here, having shifted from farming wild eels to hybrid species.

Muhammad Azman, 47, said those early failures opened his eyes to the realities and challenges of the industry.

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“I have loved eels since I was a child. After school, I used to follow villagers to catch eels in the padi fields near our village. Back then, it was just for fun, but it sparked my curiosity about eels and how they live.

“When I read on social media that some people overseas had succeeded in farming eels commercially, I started thinking about doing it myself. But in the early stages, I failed because I had no proper knowledge and was just experimenting,” he told Bernama.

The entrepreneur said those early setbacks motivated him to attend an eel farming course in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2021 to learn systematic breeding, care and treatment techniques.

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The knowledge he gained there helped guide the father of eight to switch from farming wild eels to hybrid species, which require only eight to 12 months to reach the market size of about three to four eels per kilogramme.

“Wild eels can take up to three years to grow to a suitable market size, and sometimes they do not survive. After attending the course in Bangkok, I finally understood the proper techniques and became more serious about this venture,” he said.

Muhammad Azman, who also runs a car tyre business, said the hybrid eels on his farm are bred from broodstock imported from Vietnam at about RM30 each for breeding purposes.

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Apart from growing faster, hybrid eels are also in good demand because their meat has a softer texture and they are raised in cleaner water compared with wild eels, which usually live in padi fields or canals.

“The breeding process begins in canvas ponds measuring about 5.8 metres long and 1.8 metres wide, designed to mimic the eel’s natural habitat with muddy soil, water and grass to create a suitable breeding environment.

“The ponds are also fitted with small pipes that act as nests, allowing male and female broodstock to fertilise the eggs. Once the eggs mature, they are collected from the pipes and placed in a special hatching machine to speed up the hatching process,” he said.

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After hatching, the eel fry are transferred to special tanks equipped with nets to shelter them until they reach a suitable size for sale.

At present, the farm houses about 10,000 eel fry as well as about 4,000 mature eels that are ready to serve as broodstock for breeding.

“I usually sell them to wholesalers and restaurants, with a minimum order of about 10 kilogrammes. Prices depend on the season. During dry periods, eels are sold for between RM30 and RM35 per kilogramme,” he said, adding that he also sells eel fry to other farmers.

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Meanwhile, Muhamad Hairi, 42, said eel farming requires strict discipline, particularly in maintaining water quality as the freshwater species is prone to liver infection, worms and fungal infections.

“For eel fry that feed on powdered starter feed, the water must be changed about an hour after feeding. If they are fed three times a day, the water must also be changed three times. Eels fed with pellets usually require water changes twice daily,” he said, adding that eel farming has the potential to become an alternative source of income for rural communities.

-- BERNAMA