The southern province of Dong Nai is currently farming more than 1.4 million pigs and 13 million chickens, an increase of over 1 million apiece from a year before, according to the provincial Veterinary Sub-department.

Such a leap is attributable to price increases over the past year, encouraging farmers to expand their operations.

Each day, Dong Nai farmers supply the market with nearly 7,000 pigs (equivalent to about 700 tonnes), 84,000 chickens (over 120 tonnes), 1.7 million chicken eggs, and 1.1 million quail eggs.

Dong Nai is among the top food purveyors in the south of Vietnam with 60-70 percent of its pigs and chickens sold in Ho Chi Minh City and neighbouring provinces.

Local pork and chicken meat are priced 2,000-3,000 VND (0.09-0.14 USD) per kilogramme higher than those of other provinces due to its superior quality, the Veterinary Sub-department said.

It added that almost all chickens, quails, and pigs in the province are raised at farms, noting that 2,800 books were handed over to local farms by the end of February to assist them in recording their livestock.

The agency has so far recognised 263 farming facilities as free of disease, including 152 chicken farms and 111 pig farms. The recognition was said to help awarded farms secure contracts and easily deliver products.-VNA