September 13, 2004

Vietnam Targets to Raise 390 Million Poultry By 2010

Vietnam's poultry sector has set a target to post an annual growth rate of 9-10%, and raise its total number of poultry to 260 million by 2005 and 390 million by 2010, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Of the total, the sector will raise 165-180 million chickens, 65-70 million ducks and geese with meat output of 350,000 tons by 2005 with the numbers to grow respectively until 2010.

The plan was revealed at a seminar in Hanoi on September 9. The seminar was part of a regional project, conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization for Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. It aims to seek measures to quickly restore the poultry breeding industry after the avian influenza epidemic.

The seminar was told that to achieve the target, the breeding sector would implement projects on developing poultry breeds across the country with information technology to be used in the management of breeding systems.

In addition to using imported breeds, the sector will develop domestic ones and move to build up trademarks for poultry breeding production centers while rearranging the 12 State-owned breeding farms. Furthermore, the veterinary departments of localities will work to strengthen disease prevention at these breeding centers, to effectively detect and rapidly tackle potential epidemic outbreaks.

Vietnam is raising around 210 million poultry including 150 million chickens as well as 60 million ducks and geese, mostly in the Mekong Delta. They account for 15% of the country's total livestock.