Vietnam has imported 72,000 heads of cattle this year and is forecast to reach 15,000 by the year end. Vietnam is now the second largest importer of Australian beef after Indonesia. It can be said that australian beef floods Vietnam market and be able to threat to domestic breeding industry.
According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, Vietnam imported 70,000 heads of beef cattle from Australia to rank the third largest importers in 2013. The number does not include a large import volume of Aussie frozen beef.
The import has topped 72,000 heads of cattle this year and is forecast to reach 15,000 by the year end. Vietnam is now the second largest importer of Australian beef after Indonesia.
Vietnam imported only 3,000 heads of cattle in 2012, said the Vietnam Breeding Association. Aussie beef is accounted for one eighth of total consumption output in the domestic market now.
Despite of being imposed 5 percent in tariff rate, Aussie beef is still prevalent in Vietnam at the price equal or even lower than that of domestic beef, said Mr. Tong Xuan Chinh, deputy head of the Livestock Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
A kilogram of Australian cattle costs US$2.75-3.2 including tariff while domestic price is VND65,000-80,000 ($3.1-3.8).
Mr. Van Duc Muoi, director general of Vissan Company, said that Vissan began import of Australian live cattle for slaughtering since September last year. He explained that prices in domestic market are higher than that and beef cows do not supply enough.
Vietnam’s cattle weight is about 250 kilogram per cow providing 50 percent of beef output while Australia’s is 500 kilogram with the beef output of 55 percent, he added.
Breeding experts expressed concern over domestic breeding when Vietnam joins the Trans-Pacific Partnership which will abolish the tariff.
The number of beef cattle has reduced 25 percent and buffalo herd have fallen 13 percent in Vietnam for the last seven years, reported the General Statistics Office. Vietnam has six million beef cattle now and consumes about 3,000 ones a day.
