Market problem. Not the fish

Been busy learning a lot and doing much of research to achieve the optimum techniques to farm these fishes up to it's best quality meat texture and flavor without the use of chemical. And we realize cheap fishes could be as good as the expensive ones we eat in the restaurants. I personally do not like freshwater fish too much and was disappointed many times eating them in restaurants. However, the perception has changed since we gave the best of food to my fishes and kept them clean. These fishes are actually much fresher and tastier than eating them in restaurants. Even cheap and always-under-valued fish like the big head carp is awesome. wecannot believe how smooth the texture of the big head carp is until we started farming them on my own. Definitely, not self praising our fishes and they are just awfully under-valued.

It breaks my heart knowing that in Malaysia we do not have standards on our fishes and probably also because some people wouldn't pay to eat fishes when they are the healthiest meat on earth. Fishes could be affordable and healthy to eat. It doesn't have to be expensive if there weren't greed among the middleman, restaurants and farmers.

Why are farmers dying? Many farmers closed down recently. Why? They couldn't sustain! Land is expensive and feeds are very very very expensive. I am not sure about live stocks but fish price are being controlled. Not by government. Not controlled as in it will stay the same or being valued by some NGOs when it should go up. It is being controlled by middleman. When there is too much fish in the market, price can go all the way down and when there's lack of supplies, it would go way up as well. And for us, farmers, when it goes way way way down, it goes down and stay there for a longest time ever. Food price generally will never go down when it goes to consumer. Whether consumer purchase fish in the morning market, super market or eat in restaurants, rarely would you see food price go down. But for us, farmers, it does and until the extend many of us couldn't survive.

These fish pellets/fish feeds price are constantly going up. In one year time, the price of a 20kg pellets can go up by RM3. It is a pretty high percentage in one year. It's heart wrenching if we were to call it quit. It took us a long way and time to reach here. If we, the young generation do not start farming, what will our next generation eat in the future?

I hope, we can go on, fight on to make farming a better career for mankind. We shall start figuring something new to break the in between people who are earning too much.

About the Ikan Keli we stopped breeding

Why we stopped breeding ikan keli or catfish?

Man... I really hate to complain about it but here's the truth.

The price of Keli has gone down. Down down down. There are people who offered me RM2.80 perkg. I am beyond shocked. How on earth that farmer make a living by selling them so cheap? I do not understand. If the market price of these fishes has been thrashed in such, why would we want to encourage people to farm these fishes then? It isn't right. I wouldn't farm them as well. Because of the devastating drop of keli price, some people have no other choice than to feed their kelis with cheaper alternative feed. I won't say what but definitely cheaper than fish pellets. It is impossible one can earn from feeding pellets to keli if the price is not above a certain amount. Definitely not RM3 or 4. That's why I have stopped breeding that fish that could bring no human kind anywhere.

Truth about Keli

Keli is actually a superb fish. I love keli. I love their character and I love the way they eat. Keli eats a lot basically. I still kept some 30 something of the keli I bred myself. I love them to the bits.

We do not change the keli tank water frequent like other fishes. Once a week maybe as most farmers say, keli never have to change water. It's true. These fishes are amazing. They can tolerate anything. Even eating whatever. I do not want to mention what can or would a keli eat but basically trust me, they eat ANYTHING. Anyway, our beloved 30 something keli eat fish pellet. Sometimes we feed them with some live fishes if there's extra from the pond. They lived well, grew really fat and they are adorable. So, one fine day, we decided to try my very own keli just so to know why is it under-valued. We took a 1.2kg keli up. Took it to the restaurant and ordered it to be cooked Kung pou style. They'd fillet the keli, slice it and deep fried the meat and then stir fried with dried chilli and cashew nuts.

To my very very surprise, it is beyond my expectation. The Keli is so smooth yet solid. It is no lumpy meat fish. It is seriously delicious. I wish I had taken a picture of it but I was too busy eating the fish. It's really good shit. I'd pay RM30 to eat my keli for sure.

I don't know if it's the much of love I've poured into my fishes or is it just the method that makes our own Keli taste fantastic but it does.

It is heart wrenching while eating this very nice fish while thinking this is the fish which is not being appreciated at all...