Phu Tho (VNA) – The northern province of Phu Tho is accelerating its shift from small-scale livestock farming to concentrated, technology-driven production linked with integrated value chains, aiming to become a livestock hub in the northern midland and mountainous region.
The transition is gaining momentum with the participation of major agricultural enterprises and a growing focus on sustainable development.
Ta Cong Luong's family in Hamlet 4, Yen Ky commune, raises Ho and Mia chickens, producing 15,000–17,000 heads annually. After nearly 15 years of farming, his flock has remained largely disease-free thanks to technical advances, regular vaccination and proper environmental sanitation.
Luong said concentrated farming was essential to improving efficiency, as it facilitated management, disease control and product sales while enabling the application of technology, cost reduction and better economic returns.
Small-scale, scattered farming was once common among local households. However, growing risks from animal diseases and increasingly stringent environmental and food safety requirements have highlighted the limitations of fragmented production.
In response, the provincial agriculture and environment sector has intensified efforts to encourage farmers to adopt safer, more efficient production models. The number of small-scale livestock households has gradually declined as awareness of modern farming practices has improved.
Phu Tho currently has nearly 381,000 buffaloes and cows, more than 1.81 million pigs and over 38.5 million poultry. The sector includes 113 cooperatives, over 5,300 farms and 46 enterprises. Large-scale farms account for around 44% of the pig herd, 33% of poultry and 14.1% of buffaloes and cows. Meanwhile, 80 production, processing and consumption chains have been established to secure outlets and increase product value.
Major investors include CP Vietnam Livestock Joint Stock Company, Mavin Group, Dabaco and Hoa Phat. Several large-scale, high-tech projects are also being promoted.
Among them is Xuan Thien Group's high-tech livestock complex, with an estimated investment of 64.6 trillion VND (2.5 billion USD). Applying multi-storey barn technology, water-saving floor systems and a zero-discharge model, the project is designed to accommodate 77,000 breeding sows and produce 2.53 million pigs annually, alongside a 300,000-tonne animal feed plant.
Another complex, jointly developed by Da Phuc Agriculture JSC and Yen Thuy Agriculture JSC, will include facilities for 40,000 breeding sows, annual production of one million pigs, a slaughtering system with a capacity of 1.4 million pigs and a 400,000-tonne animal feed factory.
These projects are expected to establish integrated value chains covering breeding, feed production, farming, slaughtering and processing, adding value to the province's livestock sector.
Livestock development will focus on meeting domestic demand for safe products while gradually improving compliance with export standards. Production planning will also take climate change, natural disasters and animal disease risks into account.
In the coming years, Phu Tho aims to develop concentrated, modern and sustainable livestock farming, with greater emphasis on specialty products, circular economy models and organic production linked with eco-tourism and environmentally friendly practices.
Hoang Manh Thong, head of the provincial Sub-Department of Livestock Production, Fisheries and Veterinary Medicine, said improving the investment climate and promoting the private sector were among the province's priorities.
Authorities will continue creating favourable conditions for enterprises to invest in large-scale and high-tech livestock farming, with a focus on sustainable growth, modernisation and environmental protection, he added./.
