U.S. Soybean Meal is Good Choice for Frog Feed in Southern Vietnam

Not only the Vietnamese, but also others who live in tropical countries remember hearing frogs’ voices “oop oop oop” in the nighttime after a rain. Vietnam has long been connected to frogs.
In the past, people caught frogs from Southern Vietnam’s rice fields. Beginning in 2006 or 2007, the Vietnamese began to attempt to culture frogs. At that time, feed companies together with universities experimented to create frog hatcheries and frog diets. From 2014 to 2018, frog feed in this country went up from 30,000 metric tons (MT)/year to 80,000 MT/year. In 2019, it is expected that number will reach 96,000 MT. Currently, Vietnam is the second largest frog producer after China and frog feed and frog production is expected to sharply increase in the future.
Frog is [the] right species for improv[ing] . . .living,” says top Vietnamese frog producer Mr. Sy. “It is [a] small investment in comparison with pangasius [or] snakehead, within [a] short period of 45-65 days only. Then the farmer re-invests again and can earn a profit with fish under the frog also.”
Soybean meal accounts for 30 to 45 percent of frog feed. Soybean meal helps to optimize the diet, and, at this time, other low quality of plant protein cannot replace soymeal.
With the expected 96,000 MT of frog feed in 2019, soybean meal usage will be around 30,720 MT, creating a good opportunity for U.S. soy products to play a role in Southern Vietnam’s frog industry.

Mr. Sy is a top frog producer in Vietnam.