Thai farmer turns backyard into mussel farm, earning 400 baht daily

A farmer in Nakhon Ratchasima has turned a hollow behind his house into a lucrative freshwater mussel farm.

The mussels, which are large, fresh, and clean, have found a ready market, with customers even purchasing directly from the mussel farm. With an average daily income of 400 baht, the farmer is gearing up to expand his mussel farming operations.

A report today, December 7, cited a farmer from Nong Mek village in Bua Yai district, Nakhon Ratchasima, who transformed unused land behind his house into a mussel farm. The venture has not only provided an additional source of income for his family but also met a high market demand.

Customers have been flocking to the mussel farm to purchase the mussels, which grow so quickly that they are often sold out even before reaching maturity.

Radaporn Khamphonethong, the 38 year old farmer, revealed that she was traditionally a rice farmer like most villagers. Still, she sought to create an additional source of income for her family. Noticing the villagers’ preference for mussels in their cuisine, she identified a gap in the market.

Mussels could only be sourced during the rainy season and were increasingly difficult to find in natural habitats due to potential chemical contamination from pesticide use in farms and fields, reported KhaoSod.

As a result, Radaporn decided to try mussel farming in a soil pond behind her house, which was dug 1 metre deep and 4 metres long. She released mussels caught from the wild into this pond.

Only a month into the venture, the mussels grew rapidly, reaching market size in about three months. The mussels fetched 100 baht per kilogramme, with restaurant owners making purchases directly from the farm. Some even placed orders in advance when the mussels were still small.

Radaporn is already earning an average daily income of 300 to 400 baht and is planning to expand her mussel farming operations.