Illustrative image (Source: VNA)HCMCity (VNS/VNA) – Vietnam imported 70 percent of its beef thisyear, with domestic beef accounting for only 30 percent of the market.
TongXuan Chinh, deputy head of the Animal Husbandry Department under the Ministryof Agriculture and Rural Development, said that Vietnam imported 517,904buffalos and cows for meat slaughtering (91.5 percent of which were cows)in the first 11 months of this year, worth more than 556 million USD.
Inthe same period, the country spent more than 295 million USD for 80,124tonnes of frozen beef and buffalo meat.
Forthe chilled meat segment, the import volume was limited. More than1,546 tonnes of chilled meat were imported from 10 countries in the first11 months of the year, worth 15.7 million USD.
Accordingto the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and theFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), beef consumptionin Vietnam in the 2017-2019 period averaged 9.2 kilos per person per year.
However,domestic beef production met only 30 percent of demand.
In2020, Vietnam had 6.24 million cows, equivalent to 372,500 tonnes ofmeat, a year-on-year increase of 4.8 percent, Chinh said.
Thanksto new technologies and support from the government, the industry is setto achieve an output of 600,000 tonnes of cattle meat, mainly beef, by 2030.
Thecountry also has many cattle farms, with a capacity of up to thousands ofheads, located in Hanoi, Hoa Binh, Ha Tinh, Gia Lai, Dong Nai, and Tay Ninh.
Toensure animal welfare, Vietnamese firms fatten imported Australian cows andsell to domestic slaughterhouses in line with the exporter supply chainassurance system (EVAS).
Fiftybusinesses and 90 slaughterhouses in Vietnam have been certified by theAustralian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources./.
VNA
