November 7, 2003

Poultry Association Set Up in Vietnam To Develop Industry

On November 4, the Mobilization Committee for the establishment of an association for poultry farmers set up the Vietnam Poultry Association (VIPA), which includes 170 members of breeding establishments, feed producers and processors, vegetarian medical producers and other services relating to the poultry sector.

VIPA was expected to develop the poultry industry in Vietnam as it played an important part in the country's agricultural-oriented economy, reducing the poverty nationwide, especially in rural areas, said Mr. Tran Cong Xuan, former director of Ha Tay provincial Poultry Research Center, who was selected as the VIPA chairman.

All VIPA members would be provided with experiences, knowledge, information and documents, technical assistance and training courses at home and abroad to better benefit from poultry raising, said Xuan at the first meeting for 2003-08 working term.

He said that during the term, VIPA would call upon and group poultry scientist, managers, producers and businessmen for the development of local poultry sector and also address the issue on setting up a national common poultry system with large production areas being well protected from diseases to register Vietnamese poultry trademark worldwide.

Vietnam has become a full member of World Poultry Science Association (WPSA) since 1999 and the Federation of ASEAN Poultry Producers (FAPP) has recently agreed to admit Vietnam into the federation in late 2004, according to Dr Nguyen Dang Vang, chairman of the WBSA unit in Vietnam.

Heads of poultry in Vietnam reached 233.3 million in 2002, a year-on-year increase of 7.19%. However the average poultry consumption was only 1.9 kilos per head a year, compared with 6.5 kilos in China, 15.3 kilos in Thailand, 34 kilos in Malaysia and 49.6 kilos in the US.