Pork shortage takes center stage at Government meeting

Pork shortage takes center stage at Government meeting

The Saigon Times Daily

HCMC – Pork prices have surged due to the undersupply of pigs. Vietnam may face a shortage of 340,000 tons of pork in late 2019, caused by African swine fever (ASF), Minister and Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung told a regular Government meeting today, December 2.

Minister Dung said  that Vietnam’s consumer price index (CPI) in November picked up by 0.96% month-on-month due to the rising prices of pork and pork products.

In January-November, the CPI rose by 2.57% on average against the year-ago period, the lowest growth rate in three years, according to vov.vn.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien said that all the ministries and departments are cooperating in handling ASF, eliminating the disease in many localities across the country. Their efforts have minimized the losses caused by ASF outbreaks.

With many provinces and cities reporting the elimination of the disease, conditions are now favorable for farmers to revive their pig herds to ensure an adequate supply of pork for the local market, Tien said.

He explained that there are 25 million live pigs in the country to help maintain breeding activities and increase herds.

At some meetings with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development held earlier, many localities committed to selling pork at prices ranging from VND66,000 to VND70,000 per kilogram, Tien added.

In response to issues related to the pork supply and price stabilization efforts in the weeks leading up to Tet, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai pointed out that the undersupply of pigs has driven up live-pig prices. As such, if no measures are adopted, this would remain a major problem next year, affecting both residents and the country’s economic growth.

Hai noted that under Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue’s directives, the ministry had collaborated with the relevant ministries and departments and many major cities, such as Hanoi, HCMC and Dong Nai, to understand the supply and demand dynamics of the local market. Pork has been prioritized by stabilization programs in many localities, he stated.

Besides this, the ministry is also tightening control over pig exports to other countries to avoid adding pressure to the supply of pigs within the country.

The representative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade also voiced concern over the smuggling of pigs from Thailand and Cambodia due to the high risks to food safety and of potential ASF outbreaks.