Vietnam: poultry and meat imports not welcome

“We should take measures to control inflation and promote domestic production,” said Animal Husbandry Department Head, Hoang Kim Giao at a conference.

Giao stated that the sector should intensify investment in breed production and supply while tightening the examination of breed origins and boosting vaccination for animals and poultry. He added that farmers should apply advanced technology to improve animal husbandry’s output in an effort to solve the sector’s current problems.

According to reports, the sector is struggling with various problems when its growth rate slowed down to 0.03% in the first 6 months – against its yearly target of 8% to 10%.

Feed prices skyrocketing between 40% and 60%, has made the sector face even more difficulties, and the prices of pork and chicken sharply plummeted, which has caused a number of farmers to face huge losses.

Reports further state that Le Ba Lich, President of the Animal Feed Association, partly blamed the problem to the tax department to cut tariffs on meat imports to a level lower than the country’s commitments to the World Trade Organisation.

According to Le Ba Lich, the act has placed more pressure on the industry as it has to battle low-priced imports.

Statistics by the Customs Office suggest that the country imported over 64,600 t of assorted meat in the first 7 months of 2008.