Katawhang Mangdaragat Para sa Kalambuan sa Dabaw

14/05/2025

10/05/2025

30/03/2025

𝐈𝐁𝐎𝐓𝐎!

𝐏𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐚 "𝐏𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐠" 𝐋𝐈𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐎
Pagkakonsehal sa Distrito 1
Numero 16 sa inyong balota

20/03/2025

07/03/2025

05/03/2025

05/03/2025

Why culture tropical leech?

The Asian medicinal leech (Hirudinaria manillensis) is a tropical warm-water annelid used by many Asian countries for various medical purposes. While before this annelid could be captured in big quantities from warm water bodies such as swamps, paddy fields, and rivers among others, for trading in the traditional medicine market, these days the supply had decreased due to over-exploitation.

In Thailand, for example, live leeches are sold to middlemen at the price of Thai Baht (THB) 300-400 per kg (400-500 leeches/kg) or about US$10-12/kg. On the other hand, dried leeches could be sold at THB 1,500-2,000/kg or US$500-700/kg, while powdered dried leech costs US$10/kg to US$200/kg depending on quality, in the international market. The source of this medicinal leech in Thailand is mainly from the wild as there are no leech farms that could support the increasing demand of this medicinal leech, pushing the leech population at the verge of over-exploitation. To address this concern, Thailand is now promoting the culture of the Asian medicinal leech to prevent its depletion from the natural environment as well as to promote alternative livelihoods to rural fisherfolks.

For more information leech culture, refer to: Wannapat, N. (2019). Harnessing the Benefits of Breeding the Asian Medicinal Leech. In: Fish for the People Volume 17 No. 1 (2019). Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center, Bangkok, Thailand; pp 39-43 --> http://repository.seafdec.org/handle/20.500.12066/4815