The livestock sector looks to increase egg exports. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The livestock sector producesmore than 5 million tonnes of meat each year, meeting domestic demand, but thetarget is to increase export, according to Minister of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment Nguyen Xuan Cuong.
At a recent conference on promoting the production andexport of poultry products, Minister Cuong said the ministry plans to focus onpoultry, considering the big room for development when poultry products accountfor only 2 percent of total meat output.
Poultry consumption in Vietnam is also lower than the worldaverage, which means demand will continue to rise.
Acting director of the farm produce processing and marketdevelopment Nguyen Quoc Toan cited statistics that show average consumption ofeggs in Vietnam is at 110-120 per person a year, compared to 250-340 inneighbouring countries such as Thailand and Indonesia.
According to Nguyen Van Trong, deputy director of theDepartment of Livestock Husbandry, the poultry industry has been shifting fromsmall to big scale, with rising productivity and product quality. The total poultryflock is increasing by an average 6 percent a year, with annual output reachingmore than 1 million tonnes of meat and more than 11 billion eggs at present.
Vietnam has exported between 10-15 million salted duck eggs eachyear, and began to ship abroad processed chicken in September 2017, with nearly8,000 tonnes exports in 2018. The country also exports several poultry productssuch as canned quail eggs, braised black chicken, and egg powder.
Among problems facing the poultry sector, experts particularlypointed to the poor quality of breeding stock, and a lack of linkage betweenfarming and slaughtering and processing in the production chain.
The agriculture minister urged local authorities to exercisestrict control of the production process in livestock farming, and invest morein processing.
Regarding export, the sector was advised to focus onprocessed products to avoid quarantine and food hygienic barriers in targetcountries.
Experts recommended some suitable markets for Vietnam’s poultrymeat products such as Japan, China and the Philippines based on existingfavourable conditions such as free trade agreements and near distance.Meanwhile, egg export should target Northeast Asian and Southeast Asiancountries.-VNA
