The short answer: the minimum turnkey start for a crayfish or prawn farm is from 4 400 €. If you want to start smaller and try it out first, there are starter kits — from 1 500 €. Below — what exactly you get for this money, why two people will get different prices, and when the farm pays back the investment.
What the turnkey farm price includes
For us, "turnkey" means five things:
calculation and design of the project for your specific building;
supply of all the equipment;
training — no experience or specialised education is needed, the technology and training come together with the farm;
stocking with juveniles;
ongoing support after launch.
In other words, you do not buy tanks separately, filters separately and juveniles somewhere else. You get a farm that works, and people you can call when something is unclear.
What the price depends on
On the building and on what you grow. You can start in any building: for small ones there are starter kits, for larger ones — a minimum farm from 4 400 €. You can grow the Australian redclaw crayfish, the giant river prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) or both together — we also design projects for combined farming.
That is exactly why we do not name one price "per farm". A garage, part of a house, a hangar or a building that does not exist yet are four different projects with different amounts of water, equipment and harvest.
How to find out the price for your building
We have our own software — MrRak Planner. It calculates the farm for a specific building: the layout, a 3D view, the expected harvest and the cost estimate. The estimate is free: you answer three questions on the website, leave your contact, and a technologist comes back with the calculation within 24 hours. If you know the size of the building or have a plan — add it, and the estimate will be more accurate.
When the farm pays back the investment
The guideline is within 14 months. The exact period depends on the farm area and on the price you sell at. For a sense of the cycle: the Australian crayfish grows to market weight in about 6 months, the giant river prawn — in about 4 months.
What the produce sells for
Here it is important not to mix up two different prices. The first is the selling price: customers buy Australian crayfish from us from 3 500 ₴ per kilogram, giant river prawns — from 3 000 ₴ per kilogram. The second is the buy-back price: if you do not want to look for buyers yourself, we buy ready crayfish from farmers at 2 200–2 700 ₴ per kilogram.
Market demand is high, and the buy-back is a fallback you have from day one.
What can increase costs
The main risk for a farm is a power outage. Without electricity, aeration stops and the water stays cold for a long time. It is worth thinking about this before you start. We build losses from cannibalism into the calculation from the outset: survival is 70–80 %, so these losses are already accounted for in the harvest plan.
How much time the farm takes
Feeding and inspection — daily, sorting — once a month. Up to 2 hours a day in total. People combine the farm with their main job.
Where to start
Calculate your building. It is free and commits you to nothing: you will see the layout, the harvest and the cost estimate for your specific case — and only then decide whether this business is for you.