BORNEO BULLETIN- 11th January 2010

Making hard $$ from soft-shell crab farming

By: Azaraimy HH

Participants during practical course

Golden Crab Enterprise Managing Director Pg Hj Haris bin Pg Hj Duraman presenting a certificate of completion

Going from owning a bicycle to owning a car...

The soft-shell crab business, as a thriving contract farming industry, has successfully helped the village poor in Malaysia to transform their livelihood.


Industry insiders said the business has huge potential to be developed into a cottage industry here in Brunei and is capable of helping middle-class locals to improve their family income.


With small investment start-ups, low-cost overheads and a stable market, the business is perfect for local pensioners too, they said.


In view of this, 10 enthusiasts have signed up and successfully completed a two-day theory and practical course on how to produce soft-shell crabs. The course was held for the first time by Golden Crabs Enterprise, a local supplier of soft-shell crab production technology.


"I never would have guessed how easy it is to venture into the business with the help of Golden Crab Enterprise," said Enclosed Soft-Shell Crab Production course participant Haji Md Nasran bin Hj Yusof, who is currently working with Brunei Shell Petroleum.


"Not only are soft-shell crabs easy to eat, they also have high-meat content. And the beauty of it is, with contract-farming, you only have to buy the special cabinet to produce soft-shell crabs and Golden Crabs Enterprise will take care of the rest, including making sure the water is right, the crabs are fed, etc. Golden Crab Enterprise will also sell them for you," Hj Md Nasran said.


"You can do it yourself. After the course you will find it easy to do, and you may even find your own buyers. To me, contract farming is attractive because I am currently working.


"The course fee was $300, but I found it indeed worthwhile. I am planning to acquire at least two cabinets as a try-out for the moment," he added.


Golden Crabs Enterprise technical Director Encik Zulkarnain bin Zainal who comes from Malaysia said, "Soft-shell crab production has been able to improve the financial well-being of people in Malaysia (from poor to lower-class citizens) within one-and-a-half years.


"So the impact of a contract-farming business such as this is very apparent in Malaysia. And for soft-shell crabs, it is in high demand.


"In Malaysia, we have developed a benchmark for the production of soft-shell crabs. Therefore, in Brunei, it is easy to just follow this benchmark and learn from past mistakes Malaysia has made in producing the soft shell crabs," he added.


"In contrast with traditional ways of farming hard-shell crabs that require large farming areas coupled with high capital costs, the advantage of producing soft-shell crabs are that the cost is much lower and it doesn't require a large land area relative to production capacity.


"For example, you do not need to dig large farm ponds. You only need an area with a rooftop to store the cabinets and that even an old woman can oversee," he explained.


"In Brunei, the Golden Crab Enterprise also guarantees that they will oversee the selling of the crabs based on the going price, making it easier for small time producers to sell their produce."


One cabinet, which carries a $4,500 price tag, can produce around 324 crabs. At $18 per kilo, a person can earn quite a modest profit from the business. The initial cost of the cabinet can be fully recovered in a year and a half.


With a small operating cost, soft-shell crab production can provide earnings of $300 per cabinet per month.


Local producer Golden Crabs Enterprise, the first local firm to produce soft-shell crabs, only started in August 2009. The company is supplying to local restaurants and hotels and has also received an overseas offer to produce one tonne of soft-shell crabs.


With the current production capacity, the company is unable to satisfy that demand.


Seeing the opportunity it presents, the company is offering the general public the chance to take part in the business and develop soft-shell crab production into a thriving cottage industry in Brunei, something that has been done in countries such as Thailand and Malaysia.


Due to its encouraging response, Golden Crabs Enterprise will be holding another two-day course on January 15 (Theory) and January 17 (practical) at Lambak Apartment.


For further information, interested parties can contact Golden Crabs Enterprise or contact Hj Hasbola Shah bin Rosmali Shah at 8751657 or Hj Ramli bin Hj Othman at 8784125.