3.2.2. Feed brand choices, feed usage, and crude protein input
Two different types of domestic fish feed companies (local and non-local) supply farms. We differentiated them based on production scales and marketing strategies. Interestingly, 88% of farmers in Guangdong chose non-local companies, while in Zhejiang almost equal percentages of farmers chose non-local (57%) and local companies (43%). Most category I farms in Guangdong chose non-local companies, while among farms in the same category in Zhejiang, the number of farms choosing non-local feed companies was 1.5 times greater than those choosing local feed companies.
In this study, the feed input for yellow catfish farms in Guangdong was 44.95 t per hectare, while for farms in Zhejiang it was 22.59 t per hectare (Table 5). Crude protein usage in the 2 provinces showed a similar difference. Farms in Guangdong had an overall higher estimated apparent feed conversion ratio (AFCR) (Table 5). The average AFCRs of farms in Guangdong: 1.83 for category I, and 1.55 for catergory II. In contrast, there was no apparent variation of AFCRs among different types of farms in Zhejiang.