The assessment was confirmed byDirector of the Livestock Production Department Hoang Kim Giao, whoadded that the number of dairy cows rose by more than 10 percent onaverage in the past five years, reaching 167,000 heads last year.
Speaking at a seminar on the newest and most innovative advances ingenetics and nutrition for dairy cows and beef cattle in Ho Chi MinhCity on April 9, he revealed that the country’s total milk output lastyear topped 382,000 tonnes, up over 10 percent from 2011.
Thequality of the breeding cows is the decisive factor in animal breeding,he said, adding that most farmers want cows that are suitable to theirecological conditions and have high productivity.
Many measures,including artificial insemination, exist to create good qualitybreeders. Artificial insemination is the most effective tools availableto cattle producers to improve productivity and profitability of theircattle operations, he said.
According to Ho Mong Hai, an expertat the Livestock Production Department, the country currently lacks bothfacilities and human resources to conduct research on animal breeders.
“The country has imported a large amount of high-quality diary cow andbeef-cattle gene sources to meet local demand,” he said.
Because of this, the local industry needs to regularly follow the latestadvances in genetics that allow high productivity. This can reduceproduction costs and raise competitiveness, he said.
FrankJoseph, a representative form the US Department of Agriculture, saiddemand for milk and higher-quality meat is increasing in Vietnam .
This creates opportunities for the country to further develop higherquality dairy cows and beef cattle, he said, adding that producers mustacquire breeding expertise and the latest innovative technologies.
At the seminar, two US experts spoke about semen technology, thenewest reproductive technology for the beef industry, and managementpractices to increase the conception rate in artificial inseminationprogrammes.
The event, organised by the Livestock ProductionDepartment and the Asia-Pacific Dairy Cattle Co Ltd, was attended bymore than 100 delegates, including animal health officials, scientistsand representatives form enterprises.-VNA