Vietnam’s livestock industry should be restructured in a sustainable andcompetitive manner over the next two years, an official from Ho ChiMinh City's Department of Livestock Production said at a conference heldin the city on May 31.
Do Huu Phuong, head of thedepartment's representative office, said a shift from small-scalehousehold breeding to large-scale farming will enable farmers to supplyproducts that meet export requirements.
Large-scale animalfarms typically use advanced scientific technology for hybriddevelopment, fodder production and farming, he said.
Animal husbandry in Vietnam, however, is characterised by small-scale, scattered farms.
Phuong said that in 2011, about 77 percent of pig farms in the country and 88 percent of chicken farms were small scale.
Farmsshould be restructured, he said, so that productivity and quality couldbe improved. Protecting the environment and preventing diseases are twoother objectives, he added.
He said that the proportion ofpork and poultry of total meat consumed in Vietnam was 74 percentand 17.1 percent in 2012, respectively.
A policy toaddress this imbalance in consumption should be developed by thegovernment, he said, adding that in the future, the livestock industryshould focus on improving the quality, rather than quantity of pork.
At the same time, the poultry population should be increased, he said.
Inareas where there is a high animal husbandry density, such as theMekong Delta region and urban areas, the livestock sector needs to berestructured, he said. And it should be expanded in the CentralHighlands and northern mountainous provinces.
In 2011,the number of livestock farms in the Red River Delta accounted for 38.7percent of all farms in the country, while there were only 5.8 percentin the Central Highlands region.
Vietnamese farmers, Phuong said, should also improve animal productivity through breeding, feeding and cages.
Currently, in Vietnam a sow can produce 18 pigs per year, while in Thailand it is 25-26 pigs per year.
Although the domestic livestock industry has faced challenges, there is great potential in the future, Phuong noted.
Hesaid that favorable government policies are needed to supportanimal-husbandry enterprises so they can have sufficient capital andengage in technology transfer.
Despite economic crises,Vietnam 's livestock sector has maintained an average growth rate of5-6 percent per year, ensuring local consumption demand.
Thecountry’s pork output is ranked first in Southeast Asia (42.2 percent),second in Asia, and sixth worldwide, after China, the US, Spain,Brazil, and Germany.
Vietnam's animal-feed output ranks first among ASEAN countries.-VNA
Do Huu Phuong, head of thedepartment's representative office, said a shift from small-scalehousehold breeding to large-scale farming will enable farmers to supplyproducts that meet export requirements.
Large-scale animalfarms typically use advanced scientific technology for hybriddevelopment, fodder production and farming, he said.
Animal husbandry in Vietnam, however, is characterised by small-scale, scattered farms.
Phuong said that in 2011, about 77 percent of pig farms in the country and 88 percent of chicken farms were small scale.
Farmsshould be restructured, he said, so that productivity and quality couldbe improved. Protecting the environment and preventing diseases are twoother objectives, he added.
He said that the proportion ofpork and poultry of total meat consumed in Vietnam was 74 percentand 17.1 percent in 2012, respectively.
A policy toaddress this imbalance in consumption should be developed by thegovernment, he said, adding that in the future, the livestock industryshould focus on improving the quality, rather than quantity of pork.
At the same time, the poultry population should be increased, he said.
Inareas where there is a high animal husbandry density, such as theMekong Delta region and urban areas, the livestock sector needs to berestructured, he said. And it should be expanded in the CentralHighlands and northern mountainous provinces.
In 2011,the number of livestock farms in the Red River Delta accounted for 38.7percent of all farms in the country, while there were only 5.8 percentin the Central Highlands region.
Vietnamese farmers, Phuong said, should also improve animal productivity through breeding, feeding and cages.
Currently, in Vietnam a sow can produce 18 pigs per year, while in Thailand it is 25-26 pigs per year.
Although the domestic livestock industry has faced challenges, there is great potential in the future, Phuong noted.
Hesaid that favorable government policies are needed to supportanimal-husbandry enterprises so they can have sufficient capital andengage in technology transfer.
Despite economic crises,Vietnam 's livestock sector has maintained an average growth rate of5-6 percent per year, ensuring local consumption demand.
Thecountry’s pork output is ranked first in Southeast Asia (42.2 percent),second in Asia, and sixth worldwide, after China, the US, Spain,Brazil, and Germany.
Vietnam's animal-feed output ranks first among ASEAN countries.-VNA
