July 6, 2012

Mekong Delta's live pigs, pig breeds prices down

The prices of live pigs and pig breeds in Mekong Delta have dropped sharply to the lowest since 2010 while animal feed price is staying high.

Phan Van Thiet, a pig trader in Tien Giang Province's Cai Lay District, said that the live-pig price in Tien Giang, Long An, Dong Thap and Vinh Long provinces has fallen to only VND32,000-35,000 (US$1.53-1.68) per kilogramme.

Specifically, the price for high-quality pigs is VND34,000-35,000 (US$1.63-1.68) per kilogramme and VND32,000-35,000 (US$1.53-1.68) for pigs of lower quality, which is down VND1,000-1,500 (US$0.05-0.07) from the price a half month ago and is the lowest in the past two years.

The price of pig breeds has also dropped to only VND40,000 (US$1.92) per kilogramme of 20-kilogramme pigs, and VND500,000-600,000 (US$24-29) for a pig of 12-15 kilogrammes.

According to pig traders, the pig price drop in the past few months resulted from the declining consumption demand.