Farmers in trouble as beef prices plummet

(Baonghean.vn) - The price of live pigs has not stopped falling, now the price of buffalo and cattle has also decreased. Currently, the price of beef and breeding cattle has decreased by nearly half compared to the beginning of the year.

Animal husbandry is a strength in Hung Nguyen, but currently beef prices are low and farmers are not making a profit. Photo: Thanh Tam

Taking advantage of the mountainous terrain, in recent years, many households in Hung Yen Nam - Hung Nguyen commune have developed cattle breeding. Currently, the commune has a herd of about 3,000 cattle. Cattle breeding has brought in hundreds of millions of dong in income for many households such as Mr. Phan Bui Nhi, Dau Xuan Trinh, Nguyen Van Hien... in hamlet 10 (each household has from 10-30 cows).

The price of cows has dropped, many farmers are no longer interested in raising cows, some even called customers but could not sell so they had to slaughter and sell them right in the village. "My family raises a mother cow, each time it gives birth to a calf, a few years ago the calf was raised for about 5 months and sold for 14-16 million VND, this year the price of pigs has dropped so the calf is only sold for 7 million VND. It has been a long time since we have been able to eat beef and tamarind during Tet, but now beef and tamarind sold in the village are only sold for 160,000 VND/kg", said Ms. Ho Thi Thanh in Block 6, Hung Nguyen town.

Hung Nguyen district has a total herd of more than 22,500 buffaloes and cows, of which the herd is more than 16,000 cows, the proportion of crossbred cows accounts for over 60%. In fact, raising buffaloes and cows has brought a significant source of income to farmers.

In previous years, a mother cow gave birth to one calf per year, and after 3-5 months of raising, it could be sold for 13-15 million VND, which translates to more than 1 million VND per month. Raising cows does not require much investment in feed, mainly the labor of herding, and in winter, a little concentrated feed is added to increase resistance, and the rest is mainly grass, straw and agricultural by-products. Households raising 5-7 mother cows giving birth each year also earn a profit of 50-80 million VND.

Raising cows is not hard work but still requires people to herd and earn money. Photo: Thanh Tam

The sharp drop in beef prices is not only in Hung Nguyen but also common in many localities in the province.

According to breeders in Tan Ky, the price of cows has dropped by 10-15 million VND per cow, and the price of calves has also dropped by 5-7 million VND. Breeding is a strength of many localities, but the more a household raises, the more it loses.

The characteristics of buffalo and cows are slow reproduction, only giving birth once a year, some cows take more than a year to have a litter. Each time they give birth, a female buffalo or cow can only give birth to an average of one calf. The main food of buffalo and cows is grass, dry straw and agricultural by-products. The time to sell is very slow, so the supply to the market is not as large as that of pigs and poultry.

In fact, the current domestic supply of buffalo and beef only reaches 78%, the rest still has to be imported from abroad. According to the cycle, the price of meat, especially buffalo and beef, will increase more towards the end of the year.

To avoid being affected by the current price storm, farmers should not sell off their cattle, but should calmly take care of their cattle so that they do not get sick./.

Thanh Tam