Mr. Cuong said that African swine fever forced Vietnam to destroy six million pigs accounting for 20 percent of the country’s total pig herd. It is expected that the pig herd will just increase back to the level before the epidemic to approximate 31 million pigs by the end of the fourth quarter this year, so pork price cannot reduce to the level before the epidemic for the time being.
He noted sustainable repopulation of the pig herd to prevent the epidemic from recurring.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has required 15 large livestock businesses to sell piglets to farmers at a reasonable price so that they can repopulate their herds as piglet price is exorbitant now.
Mentioning measures to reduce pork price, Mr. Cuong suggested focusing on repopulating pig herds and converting into consuming other products such as poultry, shrimp and egg instead of pork together with other synchronous solutions.
Disagreeing with the minister’s suggestion of consuming other products instead of high-price pork, NA Deputy Thai Truong Giang from Ca Mau Province proposed the minister to review the measures.
According to Mr. Giang, in fact pig breeders do not benefit much as it moves through intermediaries and distribution phases. Currently, households who cooperate with businesses to raise pigs earn only VND4,000 a kilogram. The major part of profits has gone to traders and large enterprises. Adding to the woes is the illegal import of pigs through the border lines.
Hence he proposed the Government to review price management measures on some commodities such as petrol. The price of all commodities moved up when petrol price increased but none of them moved down when petrol price reduced.
