November 26, 2019

 

Vietnam's central region seeks to improve beef cattle quality

 

Gia Lai Province, which has the largest beef cattle herd in the Tây Nguyên (Central Highlands) region, has undertaken many programmes to develop the quality of its animals by crossing native cows and hybrid bulls, Vietnam News Agency reported.

 

Gia Lai has nearly 400,000 head, or nearly half of the region's total, according to the province's Agriculture Extension Centre.

 

But only about 30% are crossbred cattle.

 

In Krông Pa District, which has more than 62,000 head, the largest number in the province, the rate of crossbred cattle is only 20%. Most of them are bred by ethnic minority people using traditional farming methods which rely on natural foods, meaning breeding efficiency is fair at best.

 

In October 2017, the Western Highlands Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute (WASI) launched a project to develop high-quality beef cattle in Krông Pa, seeking to ensure there are 3,000 crossbred animals by October 2020. The project has taught farmers cattle-breeding techniques and about models for crossbreeding to produce calves.

 

The crossbreed animals are created by crossing native species with varieties like brahman, red angus, droughmaster, and Sind.

 

Mai Văn Xuân, who has been raising cattle in Krông Pa District's Ia Rsươm Commune since 1984, has switched from breeding native cattle to crossbreeds after participating in the project.

 

He now breeds red angus beef cattle and gets financial support from the project to repair cattle pens and buy bran to feed his calves.

 

A native calf reaches a weight of only 100 kilograms after one year while a crossbred calf can reach 350kg, he said.

 

In addition, the rate of pure meat of Reed Angus is 52-56% while that of native cattle is only 30-35%, according to WASI.

 

A province project to use artificial insemination to breed cross-bred cattle has yielded more than 6,000 doses of free frozen semen to inseminate cows since October 2018, which have produced more than 4,000 hybrid calves.

 

Trịnh Quốc Việt, director of the province's Agriculture Extension Centre, said the project would provide 10,000 semen samples by the end of next year.

 

The province would continue to have programmes after 2020 to further develop crossbred cattle, he added.

 

In Đak Pơ District which has 15,322 head of cattle, 87% are crossbred varieties, making it the district with the highest rate of crossbred cattle in the province.  

 

Đak Pơ has provided crossbred cows and bulls to farmers through various programmes, including those of its Farmers Association and the national target programme on sustainable poverty reduction. It has spent VNĐ1.2 billion (US$51,600) to provide 72 zebu cows to poor farmers this year.

 

Huỳnh Văn Hơn, deputy chairman of the Đak Pơ District People's Committee, said, "The district will continue to support and encourage farmers to improve the quality of cattle to increase incomes."

 

The district aims to increase the rate of its crossbred cattle to close to 100% by the end of next year, he added.

 

A farmer from the district said that a six-month old cross-bred calf can fetch VNĐ11-13 million (US$470-560), 1.5 times the price of a native calf.