KUALA KRAI (Bernama): A former used car dealer was forced to close down his one-year-old business after his income was severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

       Not wanting to give up on life after his business went bankrupt, 49-year-old Rohaimin Yusoff (pic) made the bold move of venturing into fish cage farming in Sungai Kelantan for a living.

       "Previously, I used to earn up to five figures as a used car dealer, but due to the pandemic, in a blink of an eye, I lost my source of income.

       "I also faced several constraints to continue the business, including obtaining used car dealership supplies.

       "To take care of my household expenses, I started fish cage farming with various types of fishes since January and with my savings of almost RM10,000, I built seven fish cages as a start,” he said when met by reporters in Kampung Lada here on Wednesday (Sept 22).

       The father of 13 children, aged between three months and 26, said he only started cage farming with 2,500 Ikan patin (silver catfish) fries obtained from Kuala Krai Fisheries Department.

       However in his first attempt, all the fish died before reaching maturity, which was usually around five to six months depending on the situation.

       "My first attempt failed because I ventured into the field without any knowledge and skills before I attempted again in March. This time I learned the techniques from YouTube and my more experienced friends.

       "My second attempt was with 10,000 catfish fries from a capital of RM900 and, thankfully, my efforts finally paid off," he added.

       Rohaimin said he was now able to sell around 50 kilogrammes of catfish to middlemen and restaurant owners in the district at about RM7 per kg and was able to reap a lucrative income of RM10,000 per month.

       Due to the great potential of catfish breeding, he started to diversify to other types of fish including tilapia, baung, lampan and catfish.

       "Alhamdulillah, now I have more than 100,000 fish placed in 35 fish cages where each cage can accommodate 1,000 to 3,000 fish.

       "However, for now, I focus on selling catfish because it only takes three months to reach maturity compared to other types of fish, which take about six to seven months," he said.

       On his next move, Rohaimin said he plans to add another 100,000 different fish fries with an additional 20 fish cages. - Bernama