“We have succeeded. Vietnam is the first country in the world to produce a vaccine against African Swine Fever (ASF),” Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien said at a press conference about the disease.

African swine fever (ASF) has broken out in more than 2,200 communes in 57 cities and provinces, leading to over 230,000 pigs being culled, a three-fold year-on-year increase.

More than 500,000 pigs have been imported from Thailand since June 2020. However, the pork price has been rising to VND78,000-85,000 per kilogram in the lead-up to the Tet holiday.

Vietnam completed the study and pilot programme of its vaccine for ASF and is expected to start commercial production from the second quarter of this year.

Vietnam spent VND5 trillion ($214.78 million) to import pork in the first nine months of the year, leading to a drop in prices.

While government officials attribute the high pork price to the low supply caused by the African swine fever (ASF), experts say they can see signs of oligopoly.

African swine fever (ASF) is continuing to spread in Vietnam, with outbreaks reported for the first time in 25 communes and recurring in 22 other communes since early this year.

Pork imports are needed to ensure stable supply and curb price escalation.

State management agencies affirmed that hundreds of thousand of tons of pork have been imported. However, consumers still cannot find imports at supermarkets and convenience stores in HCM City.

Vietnamese agencies have joined hands with a French partner on the research and production of vaccines against the African swine fever (ASF) and foot and mouth disease (FMD).

A vaccine against African Swine Fever (ASF) is being developed in Vietnam.

In addition to businesses that have already established inroads in the country, over 50 foreign enterprises have expressed an interest in exporting pork products to Vietnam, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The plan to increase pork imports to make up for domestic shortages won’t be easy to implement as the global price has increased sharply.

Prices of pork hit a record high with some supermarkets in Ho Chi Minh City selling pork ribs at VND280,000 per kilogram and the price of pigs reaching VND90,000 per kilogram.

The Vietnamese animal feed market is considered very promising with the value of $6 billion a year. However, feed producers have faced difficulties because of African Swine Fever (ASF).

African swine fever remains at large in Vietnam, restricting pork supply and pushing up the price of live pigs, with livestock groups facing serious damage, and even the largest ones forced to close facilities.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Ha Cong Tuan affirmed that the ministry will not allow the pork price to increase dramatically as it has in China.

The African swine fever (ASF) has had a negative impact on small-scale farming households, but has brought benefits to large companies, according to VnDirect Securities.

The amount of pork Vietnam imported in the first seven months of the year increased by 3.4 times in quantity, while the value rose by 4.3 times compared with the same period last year.