August 20, 2024

Conference in Vietnam reveals major progress, challenges for domestic livestock industry

The "Promoting Sustainable Pig Farming" conference held in Vietnam on August 14 brought to light the significant advancements and challenges in the country's livestock sector.

Pham Kim Dang, deputy director of the Department of Livestock Production at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, provided a comprehensive overview, revealing that the sector experienced a growth of 5.72% in 2023, contributing 26% to the agricultural GDP and more than 5% to the national GDP.

Pig farming, a pivotal component of this sector, contributes over 62% to Vietnam's total meat production. The country has emerged as one of the top five nations worldwide in terms of pig population and ranks sixth in pork production as of 2023. This growth signifies a substantial shift from fragmented and subsistence-level farming to a more structured, industry scale.

Recent years have seen complex challenges such as disease outbreaks and soaring feed costs. Fluctuations in live hog prices have led to unpredictable market conditions, with prolonged periods of low prices causing substantial losses for small-scale farmers. This development compel many to transition to poultry farming or to contract with larger corporations.

Despite these shifts, Dang reassured that small-scale household farming will continue, albeit in a transformed manner. Small-scale farmers are now encouraged to either professionalise their practices or join cooperatives to increase their market strength, focusing on specialty or organic livestock linked to eco-tourism to maintain their competitiveness.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien emphasised the importance of maintaining equilibrium in the consumer price index (CPI), particularly as pork prices, which constitute 65% of the CPI in the food basket, have shown volatility.

- Vietnam Net