Chicken prices in Nghe An drop dramatically due to Covid-19 impact

Mr. Le Van Hung - owner of a chicken farm in Tien Thanh commune (Yen Thanh) is worried that his chickens are still not sold when they are ready to be sold. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Mr. Le Van Hung's family in hamlet 6A, Tien Thanh commune (Yen Thanh) currently raises nearly 30,000 chickens, of which 12,000 have been ready to sell for nearly a month now.

Mr. Hung said that before the Covid-19 pandemic, for more than a month now, when Covid-19 cases appeared nationwide, chickens could not be sold. Currently, he has to borrow money to continue investing in feed to maintain the chicken flock. "The price of chickens raised in the form of free-range sale has decreased from 80,000 VND/kg to 68,000 VND/kg but cannot be sold" - Mr. Le Van Hung shared.

Le Van Hung is just one of the households facing difficulties at present. Mr. Nguyen Huu Dai - Chairman of Tien Thanh Commune People's Committee said: In the commune, there are currently 25 chicken farms with a scale of over 1,000 chickens, with a total of 450,000 poultry. Due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, all chicken farms in the commune are in a situation of backlog of chicken meat, unable to sell because previously imported chickens for restaurants and eateries are no longer available.

Affected by the Covid-19 epidemic, Nghe An's poultry has been difficult to sell recently. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Dien Trung Commune (Dien Chau) is a locality specializing in raising large quantities of broiler chickens. Mr. Dau Ngoc Hoa - Director of VietGAP Dien Trung Livestock Cooperative said: Since the first Covid epidemic appeared in Vietnam until now, about 1 month, the price of broiler chickens has dropped sharply, from 70,000 VND to 45,000 VND/kg, but it is still difficult to sell. Currently, the Cooperative has 37 broiler chicken farms, the number of chickens ready to sell is 600,000, and is in a sluggish situation.

According to Mr. Dau Ngoc Hoa, the reason why chicken meat has been sluggish and has decreased in price recently is due to the Covid-19 epidemic, the market has not been able to circulate, forcing chicken farmers to accept retail sales, but the sales volume is insignificant.

Chicken farm owners in Nghe An are looking for solutions to maintain their chicken flocks, waiting for the end of the Covid-19 pandemic to sell them. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Mr. Nguyen Van Lap - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development shared: Due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, in general, agricultural products are difficult to consume, including poultry. The reason is that consumption in cities has decreased significantly. There is no other way, farms and households try to maintain chicken flocks, when the Covid-19 epidemic is controlled, all activities return to normal, then food consumption will increase dramatically, which is an opportunity to consume chicken.