Hoang Kim Giao, head of the department, said Vietnam imported only 30,000 tonnes of frozen meat, mostly chicken, beef and pork, in the first five months of this year, which was much lower than the import volume of the same period last year.

 

Giao attributed the import decrease to the strong domestic supply of chicken, in addition to the recovery of pig farming, the most-farmed animal in the country, after being hit by diseases last year.

 

The country will produce 4.3 million tonnes of pork and a few million tonnes of chicken and beef this year, so the imported amount will make up only a small part between 3% and 5% local production, he said. The local husbandry industry, especially pig raising, could not be affected from the outside, he noted.

 

Meat importers, meanwhile, have to face with more barriers set up against the import of unnecessary goods in an effort to narrow the country's trade deficit that has climbed to a high of US$6.6 billion in the first five months.

 

In May, the General Customs Department of Vietnam has listed imported pork, beef, and chicken into the category of specially imported price management. Accordingly, all imported cargoes will have to go under stringent control on the price declaration made by importers.