The young man with a belief in clean animal husbandry.

(Baonghean)Pham Viet Duc, a 35-year-old man from Hamlet 12, Thanh Huong Commune, Thanh Chuong District, is a pioneer in investing in clean livestock farming.

Mr. Pham Viet Duc (Hamlet 12, Thanh Huong Commune, Thanh Chuong District) (left) discusses techniques for raising pigs organically. Photo: Nguyen Son

After working away from home for some time, with the knowledge and experience he had accumulated, Mr. Pham Viet Duc decided to return and invest in his family's garden in Hamlet 12, Thanh Huong Commune. The garden, spanning over 4 hectares, was large enough for Mr. Duc to build a comprehensive farm model, with commercial pig and chicken farming as the main focus. The situation was further facilitated by the opening of the Ho Chi Minh Highway through the commune, located only about 600 meters from his family farm.

With two closed-system pig farms, from breeding sows to fattening pigs, Mr. Duc received technical support from the JICA project to ferment animal feed using readily available agricultural products in the area such as cassava, corn, rice, and potatoes. Therefore, the quality of the pigs at slaughter is excellent, with firm, flavorful meat that is sought after by many buyers. Notably, Maximark supermarket in Vinh City has signed a contract to purchase his products daily. Because of this, even during the recent period of falling pig prices, pork from Mr. Duc's farm continues to be purchased at a high price.

According to the clean farming process, after two months of intensive rearing of the piglets using industrial feed, the following months the feed is mixed by fermenting cassava, corn, and potatoes together with ground rice. This method not only creates a clean product but also saves on expenses.

According to Mr. Duc, the later stages of pig farming, if using industrial feed, cost 9-10 million VND per ton of feed, while using mixed feed according to JICA guidelines only costs 5-6 million VND per ton (from corn, cassava, and rice), saving about 4 million VND per ton of feed. More importantly, raising pigs with biologically mixed feed results in tastier and more flavorful meat.

By developing clean, organic farming practices, Mr. Duc's farm purchases over 116 tons of cassava and 400 tons of corn and rice from local farmers in the district each year. These products are readily available and inexpensive, helping to reduce the farm's input costs.

To ensure the animals thrive in a clean and safe environment, Mr. Duc's family farm is built in isolation, and each time feed is introduced or outsiders are brought in, they must undergo a disinfection process. Inside each row of pens, a temperature control system and industrial exhaust fans are installed, combined with cooling pads (also known as heat exchange pads), creating a cooling system for the entire row of pens. On sunny days, operating this system helps reduce the temperature by 8-10°C. This is an energy-efficient cooling system that helps control the temperature inside the pens between 25-28°C.

Currently, Mr. Duc's family farm has expanded to a scale of 150 breeding sows and over 700 fattening pigs. Besides organic pig farming, Mr. Duc's farm also invests in raising thousands of native free-range chickens, participating in the development chain of Thanh Chuong hill chicken brand.

Mr. Duc (second from the right) discusses methods for composting animal feed. Photo: Nguyen Son

From raising livestock in a clean environment and securing numerous meat supply orders, Mr. Duc decided to invest in building a slaughterhouse to create a complete chain, strictly controlling product quality until it reaches consumers. Currently, Mr. Duc's farm is certified according to the standards of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; and has been certified by the Nghe An Livestock and Veterinary Department as meeting the requirements for food safety and hygiene from livestock farming, slaughtering, preservation, and trading of livestock and poultry meat products. This is the first farm in Thanh Chuong to implement this model.

Mr. Pham Viet Duc shared: “Clean, organic farming is an inevitable trend that the world, the region, and our country are moving towards. With the help from the JICA project and accumulated experience, my family is pursuing the construction of a sustainable, efficient farm. Investing billions of dong in the farm is not a gamble, but a belief and determination of my family in starting this business. Currently, we are completing the slaughterhouse to create a closed-loop system of livestock farming and slaughtering. From there, in addition to supermarkets and restaurants that have already placed orders, we hope that our farm's products will be purchased by schools and factories with kitchens.”"Orders for group meals in the province are placed..."

Developing clean agriculture is a sustainable direction that Thanh Chuong district encourages households to adopt. Through promoting the application of science and technology, the district is actively attracting businesses and private individuals to support farmers, from providing good seeds and guiding technical processes to purchasing and processing products, creating a value chain for agricultural products.

Nguyen Nguyen