70th anniversary of Hanoi's Liberation Day Vietnam - Asia 2023 Smart City Summit Hanoi celebrates 15 years of administrative boundary adjustment 12th Vietnam-France decentrialized cooperation conference 31st Sea Games - Vietnam 2021 Covid-19 Pandemic
Home / Economy / Trade - Service
Vietnam’s pork shortage predicted to surge to US$1.3 billion by early next year
Ngoc Thuy 18:44, 2019/09/09
The pork shortage is adding pressure to the government’s efforts to keep inflation below 4% this year. About 70% of all meat consumed last year in Vietnam was pork, according to the agriculture ministry.
Vietnam risks a shortage of 500,000 tons of pork, which is valued at US$1.3 billion, between now and the Lunar New Year in January 2020 as African swine fever ravages the nation’s hog herd, according to Ipsos Business Consulting.
 
Illustrative photo.
Illustrative photo.
“The pork supply has become scarce,” Nguyen Tat Thang, general secretary of the Vietnam Animal Husbandry Association was quoted by Bloomberg as saying. “Vietnam’s pork imports jumped 5- to 7-fold in the first half of the year and will rise more through the end of the year.”

It’s unclear, though, if pork producers from markets such as the US and Europe will be able to plug a significant portion of the shortage, said Phong Quach, the country head of Ipsos Business Consulting, to Bloomberg. 

The Vietnamese prefer fresh meat, which is purchased at traditional wet markets, while most imported meat is frozen, he said. Facilities for storing, defrosting, cutting and packaging massive amounts of pork to meet daily consumption and buying habits, and a system to distribute the meat to local markets beyond large supermarkets in major cities, would be needed, Phong added.

The pork shortage is adding pressure to the government’s efforts to keep inflation below 4% this year. About 70% of all meat consumed last year in Vietnam was pork, according to the agriculture ministry.

So far about 5 million pigs have been culled across Vietnam -- equal to 20% of the nation’s hog herd -- since the disease was first reported in two northern provinces at the start of February, Thang said. 

Consumers are likely to start experiencing the pork shortage at the end of October, according to Nguyen Kim Doan, deputy head of the animal husbandry association in Dong Nai province. Adding to the problem is the willingness of some buyers to acquire Vietnamese pigs at premium prices for exports to China, which is also experiencing a severe pork shortage, he said.
Other news
16:43, 2024/05/04
Nhon – Hanoi station metro line: An example of Vietnam-EU cooperation
The project would contribute to the sustainable development of Hanoi and Vietnam.
22:35, 2024/04/29
Tech giants pay nearly US$580 million in taxes in Vietnam
The list of foreign suppliers who have declared and paid taxes includes Google, Meta (Facebook), Microsoft, TikTok, Netflix, and Apple, among others.
21:29, 2024/04/29
French market awaits Vietnamese green, sustainable businesses
With some 230 enterprises now operating in Vietnam, France is the second-largest European investor in the Southeast Asian country.
09:11, 2024/04/28
Hanoi ranks second in the E-Business Index
The Vietnam E-commerce Association released the 2024 E-Business Index (EBI) report at the Vietnam Online Business Forum 2024 (VOBF 2024) on April 25.
16:27, 2024/04/19
Vietnam among Asia-Pacific's fastest growing economies: FedEx
The Southeast Asian market is growing faster than many other regions worldwide.
15:49, 2024/04/17
Vietnam’s stock market remains attractive investment channel: Expert
Given favorable macroeconomic conditions, combined with the expected rate cut by the Federal Reserve (Fed), the stock market is believed to experience strong growth.