Vietnam ought to convert ineffective rice cultivation areas intograss fields for raising beef cattle, since intensive livestock farmingis significantly more profitable, Chairman of the Vietnam Animal FeedAssociation Le Ba Lich said.
He continued to saythat while Vietnam is encountering difficulties in seeking riceexport markets, it imports about 200,000 heads of cattle every year.
There are only 45,000 hectares of grass across the nation at present.Based on Australian models, raising one cattle requires one hectare ofgrass, and as such Vietnam is currently only able to feed 45,000cattle, he added, well below the domestic demand.
Sharing the same view, Chairman of the Animal Livestock Association ofVietnam Nguyen Dang Vang said about 70 million tonnes of agriculturalby-products like straw, bagasse, and corn stalk, which can be turnedinto animal feed, are already produced in the country each year. If eachkilogramme of beef needs 6-7 kilograms of fodder, the country canproduce one million tonnes of beef using only 20 million tonnes ofby-products.
He urged the enhancement of agricultural residue processing to ensure fodder supply for livestock.
Another reason for underdeveloped beef cattle farming in Vietnamis that up to 54 percent of the cattle population is local unproductivebreeds, according to the Department of Livestock Production (DLP) underthe Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Vietnam has previously crossed local cattle with the Sindhi breedto generate hybrids weighing 220 kilograms each. Vang said hybrids canweigh up to 330 kilograms each if new technology is applied and localcattle are crossed with such breeds as Angus or Droughtmaster.
DLP Director Hoang Thanh Van said under the Prime Minister’s DecisionNo. 50/2014/QD-TTg on assisting animal husbandry between 2015 and 2020,Vietnamese farmers will be supported with high-quality cattle sperm tohybridise their livestock. Cutting-edge fodder producing technology willalso be transferred to make the best use of agricultural residues.
A number of domestic businesses have recognised the observableprofitability of raising beef cattle. The DLP said the Hoang Anh Gia LaiGroup plans to rapidly develop its beef cattle herds in the CentralHighlands provinces of Dak Lak, Gia Lai, and Kon Tum. In late 2014, theDaso Group’s Delta farm in Ho Chi Minh City imported nearly 1,800cattle from Australia to raise. There has also been a growing numberof farms with over 100 heads of cattle in the Central Highlandsand eastern southern provinces.
The sector aims toraise the proportion of hybrid cattle to 70 percent and a beef output of319,000 tonnes (equivalent to nearly 5.6 million heads) by 2020. Itwill also develop small- and medium-sized livestock areas in suitablegrass-growing regions such as northern mountainous areas, northern andcentral coastal areas, and the Central Highlands.
In2014, Vietnam had about 5.16 million heads of cattle with a beefoutput of 297,400 tonnes – a 4.2 percent increase from a year earlier.It imported roughly 300 million USD worth of live cattle and 50 millionUSD worth of frozen beef.-VNA
He continued to saythat while Vietnam is encountering difficulties in seeking riceexport markets, it imports about 200,000 heads of cattle every year.
There are only 45,000 hectares of grass across the nation at present.Based on Australian models, raising one cattle requires one hectare ofgrass, and as such Vietnam is currently only able to feed 45,000cattle, he added, well below the domestic demand.
Sharing the same view, Chairman of the Animal Livestock Association ofVietnam Nguyen Dang Vang said about 70 million tonnes of agriculturalby-products like straw, bagasse, and corn stalk, which can be turnedinto animal feed, are already produced in the country each year. If eachkilogramme of beef needs 6-7 kilograms of fodder, the country canproduce one million tonnes of beef using only 20 million tonnes ofby-products.
He urged the enhancement of agricultural residue processing to ensure fodder supply for livestock.
Another reason for underdeveloped beef cattle farming in Vietnamis that up to 54 percent of the cattle population is local unproductivebreeds, according to the Department of Livestock Production (DLP) underthe Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Vietnam has previously crossed local cattle with the Sindhi breedto generate hybrids weighing 220 kilograms each. Vang said hybrids canweigh up to 330 kilograms each if new technology is applied and localcattle are crossed with such breeds as Angus or Droughtmaster.
DLP Director Hoang Thanh Van said under the Prime Minister’s DecisionNo. 50/2014/QD-TTg on assisting animal husbandry between 2015 and 2020,Vietnamese farmers will be supported with high-quality cattle sperm tohybridise their livestock. Cutting-edge fodder producing technology willalso be transferred to make the best use of agricultural residues.
A number of domestic businesses have recognised the observableprofitability of raising beef cattle. The DLP said the Hoang Anh Gia LaiGroup plans to rapidly develop its beef cattle herds in the CentralHighlands provinces of Dak Lak, Gia Lai, and Kon Tum. In late 2014, theDaso Group’s Delta farm in Ho Chi Minh City imported nearly 1,800cattle from Australia to raise. There has also been a growing numberof farms with over 100 heads of cattle in the Central Highlandsand eastern southern provinces.
The sector aims toraise the proportion of hybrid cattle to 70 percent and a beef output of319,000 tonnes (equivalent to nearly 5.6 million heads) by 2020. Itwill also develop small- and medium-sized livestock areas in suitablegrass-growing regions such as northern mountainous areas, northern andcentral coastal areas, and the Central Highlands.
In2014, Vietnam had about 5.16 million heads of cattle with a beefoutput of 297,400 tonnes – a 4.2 percent increase from a year earlier.It imported roughly 300 million USD worth of live cattle and 50 millionUSD worth of frozen beef.-VNA
