The latest report of the Department of Livestock Husbandry showed that in the first seven months of the year, 93,248 tons of pork were imported by 130 companies in Vietnam, an increase of 223 percent over the same period last year.

The imports were mostly from Canada, Germany, Poland, Brazil, the US, Spain and Russia.

In an effort to improve supply, MARD on June 12 allowed the Department of Animal Health to quarantine live pigs from Thailand for domestic slaughter.

From June 12 to August 12, Vietnam importers registered quarantine for over 5 million pigs from Thailand for breeding and slaughtering. To date, 97,338 pigs from Thailand have arrived which will be used for food.

Thailand’s pigs are imported at VND70,000 per kilogram and are sold at VND80,000-83,000 per kilogram in Vietnam.

As of the end of July, Vietnam had 25.18 million pigs, or 81.9 percent of total herd it had before ASF (African swine fever), about 31 million at the end of 2018. This included 2.93 million sows, an increase of 7.7 percent compared with January.

Also according to the Department of Livestock Husbandry, reports by 63 cities/provinces all show the rapid pig herd restocking.

As of the end of July, Vietnam had 25.18 million pigs, or 81.9 percent of total herd it had before ASF (African swine fever), about 31 million at the end of 2018. This included 2.93 million sows, an increase of 7.7 percent compared with January.

Thanks to the control of the epidemic, the rapid herd restock and the high import volume, the pork price has cooled down.

The live pork price has decreased by VND15,000-18,000 per kilogram compared with the peak in May to VND77,000-83,000 per kilogram.

In Mekong Delta provinces and the north, the live pork price is VND80,000-83,000 per kilogram. In the eastern part of the southern region, it is VND79,000-82,000 per kilogram. The price in the central region is the lowest, at VND77,000-79,000 per kilogram.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) estimates that the production cost is VND71,000 per kilogram of live pork. If following the closed husbandry process from breeder production to farming, the figure would be VND50,000 per kilogram.

This means that with the live pork prices of VND77,000-83,000 per kilogram, farmers will be able to make profit, while livestock companies will make fat profit.

Consumers now can sigh with relief as prices are on the decrease. At Hoc Mon Wholesale Market in HCM City, frst-class pork wholesale price was VND97,000 per kilogram on August 25, a decrease of VND6,000, while second-class was VND88,000, a decrease of VND7,000 compared with the day before.

These are the lowest price levels in the last three months. If compared with the peak in May, the pork price has decreased by VND18,000 per kilogram and VND24,000 for first- and second-class pork, respectively.

Bao Anh

Pork supply and demand to be in balance by year-end: official

The domestic short supply of pork is expected to be offset by imports, but it is difficult to import pork now because of a decline of 12 percent in global supply of pigs, mostly caused by Asian Swine Fever (ASF).

Group set up to inspect VN pork market

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has founded a group to inspect the pork market which saw prices at high levels since the end of 2019 despite the Government’s effort to increase supply to make up for the drops caused by African swine fever.