Smuggled goods from China and Thailand flood in, pork prices turn to fall rapidly

On the morning of July 24, Mr. Nguyen Cong Bac, Director of Loc Phat BLLT Livestock Company, said that the price of live pigs had just increased to 65,000 VND/kg not long ago, but after more than a week, it has decreased to 60,000-61,000 VND/kg.

"Luckily, I was able to sell 1,000 pigs at 64,000 VND/kg recently," he said.

According to Mr. Bac, in recent days, due to the impact of African swine fever, many farms have been selling pigs for fear of the disease. Along with that, there is information that smuggled pigs are pouring into our country, causing the supply in the market to increase sharply, but the price has turned to decrease because the demand has not increased yet.

With current prices, farmers still make a profit but not as expected, he said.

Mr. Hoang Van Chung, owner of a pig farm in Son Duong (Tuyen Quang), also complained that when the price increased to 65,000-67,000 VND/kg, farmers did not have many pigs to sell. This price has not been stable for long, but for nearly a week now, it has decreased by one price every day (1,000 VND/kg).

Currently, the price of live pigs for sale has dropped to 60,000-61,000 VND/kg. According to Mr. Chung, if farmers can keep the head (without loss), they will have a small profit, otherwise they will only break even.

Recorded live pig prices on July 24 showed that in the Northern region, prices fluctuated between 60,000-63,000 VND/kg; in the Central, Central Highlands and Southern regions, prices were around 59,000-62,000 VND/kg.

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Duong, Chairman of the Vietnam Livestock Association, admitted that the price of live pigs is showing a downward trend.

Through the information he has gathered, Mr. Duong said that the price of live pigs in our country is higher than in other countries in the region. Accordingly, smuggled pigs from China, Thailand, and Cambodia have flooded the market, leading to an increase in supply and a decrease in domestic live pig prices.

The price of live pigs in China is only about 45,000-47,000 VND/kg, much lower than the price of 59,000-63,000 VND/kg in our country. Therefore, in the northern provinces, pigs from China are imported massively through unofficial channels.

Similarly, the price of pigs from Thailand and Cambodia is also lower than in Vietnam, causing pigs from these two countries to flow into our country through the borders of Long An, Tay Ninh, Quang Binh and Quang Tri provinces.

Recently, the Song Trang border post (Tan Hung, Long An) arrested a case of smuggling pigs from Cambodia to the border area of ​​Long An province. Immediately after that, the pigs were destroyed.

At the time when the price of live pigs increased to 59,000-67,000 VND/kg, Mr. Nguyen Kim Doan, Vice President of Dong Nai Livestock Association, warned that the price of live pigs in our country is higher than that in neighboring countries such as China, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. When smuggled pigs flood in, the price is unlikely to increase further.

According to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Duong, our country's pork supply is not lacking. Statistics show that the total number of pigs in the country by the end of June 2023 increased by about 2.5%; pork output in the first 6 months of the year is estimated at 2,325.6 thousand tons, up 6.5% over the same period in 2022.

The price of live pigs ranges from 62,000-67,000 VND/kg, which is a reasonable price, ensuring that farmers make a profit and consumers do not have to eat meat at expensive prices.

For a long time, farmers suffered heavy losses because the price of animal feed increased while the price of pigs was very low. However, the increase did not last long before the price of this commodity turned to decrease.

"Importing smuggled pigs not only has a negative impact on the domestic livestock industry but also poses a risk of disease and health risks to consumers," Mr. Duong said, recommending that ministries, sectors and localities strictly control smuggled pigs so as not to affect the domestic livestock industry.

Mr. Duong Tat Thang - Director of the Department of Animal Husbandry (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) admitted that the situation of live pigs imported through unofficial channels from border gates across the country also caused the price of live pigs to fluctuate last week, affecting the psychology of farmers.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has sent a document to the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of National Defense, and local authorities to closely coordinate and strengthen control to detect and thoroughly handle individuals and organizations transporting live pigs from outside into Vietnam, he informed.