Low cattle prices force farmers to switch to processing specialty beef
During the peak shopping season to prepare for the Lunar New Year, the market for buying and selling buffalo and cows is still gloomy as prices have not increased. In addition, cheaper imported buffalo and cows have also caused traders to limit imports and switch to processing of wild boar meat.
Record low prices of buffalo and cows
In the days leading up to the Lunar New Year of At Ty, in the highland districts such as Ky Son and Que Phong, ethnic people have started preparing for the fun activities to welcome Tet. Farmers and farmers also sell their products and prepare food for Tet. Many households sell buffalo, cows, pigs and chickens to buy food and prepare for the Spring worship ceremonies and the festive activities.
Mr. Ho Tong Xua in Na Ni village, Huoi Tu commune (Ky Son) said that his family also sold cows to prepare for Tet. Mr. Xua said that on January 15, he sold two cows, including a mother cow and a nearly 5-month-old calf, for a total of 9 million VND. According to Mr. Xua, the price of buffalo and cows has been continuously decreasing for the past few years, and there is no sign of an increase near Tet, sometimes even decreasing compared to normal days, so he had to sell two cows to make ends meet. If the price of buffalo and cows were as high as 3 years ago, he would only need to sell one cow to get about 12-15 million VND, enough for him to prepare for Tet.
Research on the situation of raising buffalo and cows and the retail and wholesale markets of buffalo and cows in some mountainous districts shows that the stagnation of buffalo and cow buying and selling prices is common. Although it is close to Lunar New Year, the buying and selling prices are still low compared to previous years.
Mr. Ha Ba Ly - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Huoi Tu commune said that raising buffalo and cows is the main industry that brings income to people in the commune. However, this year, the price of cows only fluctuates between 5-7 million VND/adult. As for buffaloes, the selling price is 2-3 million VND/head lower than that of cows. In the whole commune of Huoi Tu, people raise about 3,000 buffaloes and cows, but the number of buffaloes and cows has not increased in the past 3 years, but has tended to decrease because people have reduced the number of cows raised, not increased the herd because the price has continuously dropped. Raising cattle is still the economic spearhead of the remote district of Ky Son.
Similarly in Nam Can commune, Mr. Ho Ba Po - Chairman of the Commune Farmers' Association, is also one of the households with a fairly large livestock scale with a herd of 20-30 cows per litter. Mr. Po said that previously, raising and trading buffalo and cows was the main source of income for most households in Nam Can. The past few years have been different because the price of buffalo and cows has continuously decreased.
Many households in Nam Can said that the market near the Lunar New Year 2025, the purchasing power of buffaloes and cows is still sluggish and has not increased, sometimes even cheaper than usual because traders do not buy. Currently in Nam Can, the price of a mature cow is only 6-8 million VND, but there are almost no traders buying in large quantities like before.
According to statistics of the People's Committee of Ky Son district, the total herd of cows in the district is estimated at over 48,000, the herd of buffaloes is estimated at over 12,500. Along with that, the herd of pigs is over 38,800 and over 430,000 poultry, each year the livestock industry of Ky Son district supplies the market with about 3,500 tons of meat for slaughter. For buffaloes and cows, with prices continuously remaining low, Ky Son people do not increase their herds, keeping the number of livestock stable to serve the market in the district and food processing activities for holidays and Tet.
In Tuong Duong district, Tam Quang is one of the communes with a fairly developed livestock industry, especially buffalo and cow farming with a total herd maintained annually of nearly 5,000 cows. Mr. Tran Van Do in Bai Xa village is one of the effective breeders, bringing in a good income from a herd of about 5-10 cows/batch. With the method of confinement and fattening with green food as agricultural by-products combined with growing elephant grass, his family's cows develop healthily and rarely get sick.
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Mr. Do said that although it is a good source of income for his family, for more than 2 years now he has not focused on investing in increasing livestock herds but has expanded to growing meters and winter crops. Because the price of buffalo and cows has remained low since the Covid-19 pandemic, it has not increased, and even tends to decrease. On the occasion of Lunar New Year, the selling price of buffalo and cows in Tam Quang only fluctuated at 8-10 million VND/head.
Shifting the value chain
Faced with the fact that buffalo and cow prices have stagnated for many years and income from buffalo and cow trading has decreased, people in the highland districts have begun to shift to exploiting the value of buffalo and cow farming. Currently, records in many districts in the West such as Quy Chau, Que Phong, Tuong Duong, Ky Son show that livestock farming combined with processing according to the value chain is showing positive results.
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“In addition to households that raise buffaloes and cows for daily food as well as for Tet, there are many households in the commune that also process wild boar meat, beef, smoked pork, and Chinese sausages for sale. These products are especially popular during the Tet holiday,” said Mr. Ho Ba Po.
In Ky Son district, in addition to Nam Can border market, there are currently 850 points, stalls, retail stores and 4 markets, including: Muong Xen market and the central markets of Huoi Tu, Muong Long, My Ly. These are places that help local people consume agricultural products, including buffalo, beef, pork and products processed from buffalo and beef.
In addition, people also sell products online quite actively, especially small traders who specialize in collecting buffalo and beef meat, food production facilities and cooperatives such as Muong Long Agricultural and Community Tourism Cooperative, Huong Son Small Industry and Service Cooperative, OCOP product production facilities...
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Associated with agricultural production and processing, products such as sausages, beef jerky, and pork jerky are used to supply tourists, food services, and cooperative sales. Currently, the trend of production associated with processing and consumption is showing to be a sustainable direction, especially for the livestock and crop sectors in mountainous districts.
