VNs chicken industry takes flight

Poultry being processed at a factory of the Bình Minh Breeding Food Production Company in the southern province of Đồng Nai. — VNA/VNS Photo Sỹ Tuyến

HÀ NỘI – The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has released a national plan for monitoring food safety for processed chicken for export to help Việt Nam’s chicken conquer the world market.

The ministry will direct the implementation of the plan from 2017-20. According to the plan, the people’s committees of key provinces in chicken breeding will also issue plans, have funds and implement measures to prevent chicken diseases to create regions with low risk of diseases in chicken, as well as abattoirs and processing facilities meeting food safety standards.

In addition, the ministry will help enterprises build abattoirs and processing facilities ensuring veterinary hygiene and food safety.

At least one enterprise was expected to qualify for a certificate for food safety to export processed chicken according to regulations of the International Food Standards Commission, or safety food standards of importing countries, said Vũ Văn Tám, the deputy minister of agriculture and rural development.

The ministry will monitor food safety in provinces in producing and processing export chicken, focusing on districts and provinces with enterprises joining the national plan on food safety for export processed chicken.

It will open training courses for staff in charge of veterinary medicine in provinces and districts and enterprises’ staff in charge of monitoring food safety and veterinary hygiene at chicken processing facilities.

“The ministry has combined with southern Đồng Nai Province’s authorities to support one enterprise in the province to export chicken brisket to Japan. If this is a success, it will be the first Vietnamese chicken exported under large commercial contracts,” Tám said.

Hoàng Thanh Vân, head of the ministry’s Livestock Department, said many enterprises had held trade promotion activities targeting the Japanese market to export Vietnamese chicken to this market. If successful, Japanese partners would visit local enterprises to inspect chicken production lines and sign agreements with local enterprises.

Bình Phước Province has also focused on trade promotion activities with Japan, the EU and some Asian countries, he said.

“To export chicken to strict markets, Việt Nam must reach standards of regions breeding chicken in those countries. The importing countries will have delegations to visit and inspect regions breeding chickens in Việt Nam to ensure safety,” Vân said.

The domestic livestock industry must have sustainable development according to international standards and find more export markets for local chicken products, he said