According to MARD, pig farming is a vital sector in Vietnam, accounting for 62-65% of total meat production.

In 2024, the country’s pork output reached nearly 5.2 million tons, equivalent to 4.3% of global pork production, ranking sixth worldwide. Vietnamese pork consumption ranks fourth globally, rising from 30 kg/person/year in 2021 to 37.04 kg/person/year in 2024.

However, between 2019 and 2020, small-scale farming still dominated, with low economic and technical indicators, falling short of biosecurity and disease control standards. When African swine fever struck, over 9 million pigs had to be culled, causing losses exceeding 30 trillion VND (approximately $1.18 billion USD).

In April 2020, live hog prices peaked at 105,000 VND/kg (about $4.13 USD), contributing to a 6.73% spike in Vietnam’s consumer price index (CPI).

To date, BAF Vietnam Agriculture Joint Stock Company and Xuan Thien Thanh Hoa Joint Stock Company have submitted documents to MARD requesting guidance on launching multi-story indoor pig farming models.

BAF Vietnam, in strategic partnership with Muyuan Group (China), the world’s largest pig farming enterprise, has proposed a six-story smart pig farm complex in Tay Ninh. The project is designed to house 64,000 breeding sows and produce 1.6 million commercial pigs per year, with a total investment estimated at over 12 trillion VND (around $472 million USD).

Once operating at full capacity, the project could generate annual revenue of 12-13 trillion VND (roughly $472-511 million USD), with an expected payback period of 5 to 5.5 years.

Given this context, MARD has sought the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister’s approval to trial the multi-story pig farming model in Vietnam.

China has 4,500 pig towers to combat pork supply crisis

Highlighting China’s extensive experience with multi-story pig farms, MARD noted that pork accounts for over 60% of meat consumption in the country, which is the world’s largest pork producer and consumer, responsible for nearly half of global output.

However, the 2018 African swine fever outbreak decimated 40-50% of China’s pig population - roughly 200-250 million pigs - and forced 40% of small-scale farms to shut down. As a result, pork output plunged from 54 million tons in 2018 to just 36 million tons in 2019.

This supply shock caused pork prices to surge by 300% in November 2019 compared to the previous year.

Additionally, limited agricultural land and environmental pollution from traditional pig farming have hampered expansion efforts.

To address these challenges, the Chinese government began promoting high-tech, modernized pig farming practices in 2018.

As of now, China has developed more than 2,000 multi-story pig farming models across nearly 4,500 high-rise buildings, supplying about 2.65 million breeding sows and over 30 million market hogs annually. Some of these pig towers reach up to 26 stories tall.

According to MARD, this model offers significant advantages over traditional methods.

At these modern pig towers, smart farming technologies are employed, including artificial intelligence, blockchain, sensor-based monitoring, and real-time collection of images and sounds from individual pigs to detect diseases early, estimate weight gains, and monitor growth and market readiness.

The model also enhances biosecurity through advanced systems for managing wastewater, solid waste, and emissions.

Moreover, it optimizes land use, shortening site clearance timelines and increasing land efficiency by up to 4.3 times. Labor is also streamlined, with one person able to manage up to 2,000 pigs, thus improving productivity.

MARD concludes that this model has initially helped China address food security, disease prevention, and environmental challenges in pig farming.

Tam An