Illustrative photo (Source: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam will allow the import of livepigs for the first time in a bid to counter the skyrocketing live hog prices inthe domestic market, said an agricultural official.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development PhungDuc Tien noted the import will be under tight monitoring to prevent negativeimpacts on the local market.
First shipments could probably come from Thailand, heunveiled, adding that the ministry will also create the best possible conditionsfor the import of breeding pigs to help increase the number of local herds.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has justsent a dispatch to the Department of Animal Health, giving the greenlight forthe department to study the risks of pig imports based on documents submittedby export nations.
According to the dispatch, after analyzing the documents,the department must work with import companies to contact and organise onlinemeetings with related official agencies of the exporters, in order to solve anyhurdles and collect missing information for meeting requirements on animalhealth and sanitation and quarantine certificates for export.
Import firms must follow quarantine regulations to ensuresafety for domestic herds. Imported pigs will be quarantined in 30 days asregulated.
According to statistics from Anova Feed company, on May 28, theliveweight prices of pigs were 97,000 – 100,000 VND (4.23 USD) per kg in thenorth; 95 – 100,000 VND in the central region; and 93,000 – 99,000 VND in the south.
The Government’s recommended price is 70,000 VND at themoment, which insiders said is almost impossible to achieve due to the shortageof market hogs.
Amid the shortage, it is hard for farmers to increase theirnumber of pigs as the cost of a sow ranges between 13 – 16 million VND (561.7 –691.4 USD) and that of a piglet is at a record level of 3 – 3.6 million VND.Despite the high prices, pigs for sales are not always available./.
VNA
