Australian lobsters help alleviate poverty in Dahua

Dunsu village in Dahua town of Dahua Yao autonomous region was filled with cheers on May 19 as the first batch of 75,000 Australian baby lobsters came from Taiwan, bringing hope to lift the local residents out of poverty.

The lobsters are native to the tropical areas of North Australia and are rare among the aquaculture species.

Due to the poor fertility and hatchability rates, Australia's freshwater lobsters are in short supply, and domestic market prices remain high.

In recent years, the lobsters have been successfully introduced into China. Test breeding results show its advantages of having short breeding period, large market potential, high selling price, and being easy to raise.

The lobsters were brought in by a local farmers' specialized cooperative at a price of three yuan ($0.47) each. The Taiwanese supplier will provide the baby lobsters and technical tracking service and the cooperative offers culture ponds and devices.

The Dunsu village of Dahua is blessed with fresh air quality and abundant freshwater resources. Twenty impoverished families have participated in the aquaculture project by providing labor force or becoming shareholders of the ponds.