VietNamNet Bridge – The Government finally had to allow importing meat in order to stabilize the domestic market and prevent the prices from escalating. However, farmers complained that the decision has pushed them against the wall.

The decision to allow importing meat has been applauded by Vietnamese consumers, because they can buy food at lower prices. However, farmers do not feel happy at all, because the meat prices have gone down to the low levels which cannot cover their expenses.

According to the General Department of Customs, by the end of September, Vietnam had imported 85,249 tons of meat, including 6000 tons of pork, 66,251 tons of poultry meat and other livestock products.

The big imports, which aimed to improve the short shortage in the months from May to July, have successfully helped stabilize the market and stop the “price fever.”

The pork and chicken prices have decreased significantly by 30-50 percent at the traditional markets in Mekong Delta’s provinces in comparison with the prices in May and June. At Cai Lay (Cai Lay district), My Tho (My Tho City), Vinh Kim (Chau Thanh district), Cai Be (Cai Be district) markets, the retail pork prices now range between 60,000 and 85,000 dong per kilo, a decrease of 30,000-40,000 dong per kilo.

In Long An province, chicken is now priced at 30,000-35,000 dong per kilo after the price has dropped by 20,000-25,000 dong per kilo.

In Vinh Long, Dong Thap and An Giang provinces, the meat prices have also decreased by 15,000-40,000 dong per kilo.

Nguyen Thi Phuong, a housewife in My Tho City of Tien Giang province, said that just one or two months ago, she did not dare to purchase chicken, because it was too expensive. But now she can sigh with relief, because the prices have gone down.

Yen Trang, a worker of the Thanh Thanh Cong Company in My Tho Industrial Zone in Tien Giang, also said that if the meat price continues increasing, she will not have meat for meals, because the salary is not high enough to cover her basic needs.

Livestock farmers cry

While consumers feel happy because the meat prices have decreased significantly, farmers feel worried stiff when the pork and chicken prices have decreased, which will cause big losses to them.

A farmer complained that since the beginning of August, the meat has decreased continuously from 6-6.2 million dong per 100 kilos of live weight to 4-4.3 million dong for pork and from 60,000-70,000 dong per kilo to 30,000-35,000 dong per kilo.

Tran Van Hai, a farmer in Chau Thanh district of Tien Giang province, said that with the current sale prices, farmers have incurred heavy losses, because the input costs have increased sharply, from the animal feed, electricity and water, to medicine.

A representative of Than Cuu Nghia Livestock Enterprise in Chau Thanh district in Tien Giang province said that it is nonsensical if the animal feed price increases, while the poultry meat decreases. He said the food prices need to increase to truly reflect the input cost increases.

“If the pork and chicken prices keep decreasing, the husbandry would fall into a crisis,” he said, warning that farmers would give up farming because the turnover is not high enough to cover expenses.

Analysts have warned that the domestic shortage may occur again, if farmers give up farming, when the blue-ear epidemic still has not been extinguished.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, by mid October, the blue-ear epidemic had broken out in five provinces, including Tien Giang, Long An, Soc Trang, Tay Ninh and Quang Nam.

Source: TBKTSG