Pig breeding costs 2-3 times more, farmers in Nghe An find it difficult to restore their herds

According to a survey, the current price of piglets in Nghe An market ranges from 150,000 VND - 200,000 VND/kg (depending on the type), the cheapest is white pig with a price of 2 - 2.5 million VND/head (about 10 - 15kg), while other types of pigs such as black pig, striped pig, Mong Cai, farm pig have prices ranging from 3 million to 3.5 million VND/head, 2-3 times more expensive than before.

Not only are they expensive, but breeding pigs are also quite scarce on the market. Large companies and large farms with sows mostly keep the breeding pigs to raise into commercial pigs, while small-scale farmers have mostly had their sows destroyed due to the epidemic, leaving few left, and when breeding pigs are sold, they are usually sold in herds, not individually.

The current price of piglets is 2-3 times higher than before the epidemic, making it difficult for farmers to restore their herds. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Many traders specializing in buying and selling piglets in localities in the province said that in order to have piglets to sell on the market, they had to deposit with the farmers a month before the sows gave birth. In addition, the main piglets in the province are currently supplied by only a few companies, breeding centers and large farms, but the supply is also very limited.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien in Hung Nghia commune, Hung Nguyen said that the African swine fever outbreak in mid-2019 forced her family to destroy 3 sows that were about to give birth and sell off the piglets before the disease hit. Previously, her family's farm always maintained a level of 100 pigs/litter, but it has been nearly a year since the end of the epidemic, but many of the barns in the farm are still empty.

Ms. Hien said: “Previously, 3 sows were enough to build a herd for each litter, self-sufficient breeding not only controlled the epidemic but also saved investment costs. But now the sows have been culled, breeding pigs are two or three times more expensive than before the epidemic, so the family has only invested in raising 30 pigs for meat (equal to 1/3 of the total herd compared to before). The remaining empty barns are planned to be converted to raise poultry instead.”

Although African swine fever has been controlled, many pig farmers in Hung Nghia and Hung Nguyen communes are eligible to re-herd but still leave their barns empty due to high pig breeding prices. Photo: TP

The same is true at Mr. Dang Anh Tuan's farm in Xuan Son commune, Do Luong. After the epidemic was controlled, although he had enough conditions to re-herd, he has only invested in raising half the number of pigs compared to the farm's scale. The reason is that piglets are currently expensive, while the farm's breeding sows are not enough to provide enough piglets to ensure the scale. Mr. Tuan is currently looking to buy male pigs to increase the number of sows to provide enough piglets for the farm.

Not only farms and ranches have difficulty in restocking due to the high cost of piglets, but small-scale breeders also have to leave their piglets empty because they cannot buy piglets.

According to the report of the Nghe An Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, African swine fever in the province has been controlled. Currently, many livestock farms in the province are ready to restore production, but the high price of piglets has prevented farmers from investing in herd restoration. Because for farms with hundreds of pigs or more, the cost of buying piglets has reached billions, while in the near future, if the livestock farming is favorable, the price of pigs will certainly decrease, so investing in herd restoration when the price of piglets is expensive can easily lead to losses.

At this time, with the price of piglets fluctuating from 150,000 VND - 200,000 VND/kg (depending on the type), farms with a scale of several hundred pigs only have to invest in billions of VND in piglets. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Pig herd restoration is necessary, but localities need to properly implement the roadmap, recommendations, and instructions of the professional sector. Only step-by-step herd restoration should be done in places that ensure biosafety. In particular, households that do not meet the conditions should not rush to restore herds because the risk of disease outbreaks is very high. On the other hand, when buying piglets at high prices, people rush to restore their herds, surely the price of live pigs will be pushed down, and people will continue to suffer losses.

Mr. Ngo Duc Quynh - Deputy Head of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine of Nghe An province