Five measures proposed to save pig-farming industry

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong has submitted five solutions to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to help the pig-farming industry in the context of a sharp fall in pork prices

Over the recent months, the price of live pigs has been on the decrease, down to VND30,000 (USD1.3) per kilo, the lowest for the last 10 years, down from the previous VND40,000 (USD1.7).

Over the recent months, the price of live pigs has been on the decrease, down to around USD1.3 per kilo

According to Minister Cuong, the government should assign the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) to co-operate with the Ministry of Finance as well as localities to instruct enterprises to reduce prices of animal feed and veterinary medicines. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Industry and Trade need help to seek outlets for pork.

The minister suggested the government instruct banks and credit institutions to charge off and extend the payment term of debts for pig breeders, and people selling animal feed.

He also proposed domestic companies such as Vissan, Hapro Hanoi and Saigon Coop to increase the purchase of meat from farmers. The minister recommended the halt of the temporary import and re-export of meat products to protect domestic products of the same kind.

In the long run, MARD will apply more modern and advanced technologies to slash production costs, improve productivity and seek potential export markets for domestic pork meat. The ministry has planned to ask localities nationwide to restrict the licences issued for new animal-feed processing facilities as current productivity is 31 million tonnes annually, far more than the target of 25 million tonnes by 2025.

The ministry will also reduce livestock from the current 4.2 million sows to three million by 2019. 

Localities should not increase their quantity of pigs especially sows, Cuong said, calling them to raise pigs that generate high yield or special varieties popular with certain groups of consumers.