Why haven't eggs from Vinh City been able to enter supermarkets?

(Baonghean.vn) - Vinh City currently has about 15 chicken farms, supplying over 150,000 eggs per day. Although the eggs are fresh and of good quality, they have not yet made it into supermarkets.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Thanh, residing in Yen Due Hamlet, Dong Vinh Ward, has nearly a decade of experience raising laying hens. Previously, he raised them on a small scale, with 3,000-4,000 birds. Through trial and error, in 2016 he invested 3 billion VND to build an additional farm, increasing the flock to 6,000-7,000 birds. Currently, his two farms supply the market with over 10,000 eggs per day. All of his eggs are sold in markets throughout Vinh City at a current price of 1,500-1,700 VND per egg.

Also in Yen Due hamlet, Dong Vinh ward, Mr. Nguyen Huy Thong's chicken farm has over 6,000 laying hens, producing an average of about 5,000 eggs per day. "Egg sales depend on wholesale buyers at the markets, so prices fluctuate. When there's a large influx of eggs from the northern provinces, they lower prices and buy less. The quality of the eggs is the same; in fact, eggs raised in Vinh are even fresher and tastier because they're imported daily," Mr. Thong shared.

Currently, Nguyen Duc Thanh's two chicken farms in Yen Due Hamlet, Dong Vinh Ward (Vinh City) supply the market with more than 10,000 eggs per day. Photo: Thanh Tam

Having established a farm specializing in laying hens with a scale of 12,000 birds, Mr. Vo Van Du (Dong Vinh ward) registered the Du Ngoc Cooperative. “Since establishing the cooperative, we have a seal, registered bank account number, and legal status, so borrowing capital and completing paperwork has become more convenient. My chicken farm has been certified by the City Veterinary Department, ensuring food safety, so selling eggs has also become easier. Currently, my family's eggs are sold in Metro and Big C supermarkets,” Mr. Du said.

Currently, in Dong Vinh ward, there are approximately 8 laying hen farms with a scale of 10,000-13,000 chickens, and 4-5 farms raising 300-4,000 chickens. A common feature of these farms is that the chicken coops are built using modern technology from advanced countries and treated with probiotics, ensuring environmental hygiene. Currently, chicken farmers are forming cooperatives to find stable markets for their products.

"Our egg products cannot enter stores and supermarkets because we lack food safety certificates and labels. We also hope that the government will pay attention and help us to sell our products more easily," said Mr. Pham Dinh Thao from Hamlet 11, Nghi Duc Commune.

Factory-farmed chicken eggs currently cost between 1,500 and 1,700 VND per egg. Photo: Thanh Tam

In Vinh City, there are currently over 300,000 chickens, including about 150,000 laying hens; the average daily egg production is over 100,000 eggs, with the main markets being in the city and districts of the province. "The demand for chicken eggs in Nghe An is very high; every day, 3-4 trucks transport eggs from the North. The difficulty for chicken farmers in Vinh is that they lack product certification, making it harder to sell their eggs," added Mr. Vo Van Du.

To help farmers increase the value of Vinh chicken eggs, the Nghe An Agricultural Extension Center is promoting the project "Building a value chain for Vinh chicken eggs".

Mr. Nguyen Quy Linh, Director of the Nghe An Agricultural Extension Center, said: "The development of the product chain originated from the Nghe An agricultural product exhibition, where many businesses raised concerns about egg prices. In reality, the eggs produced by local people have mainly been sold in markets, at prices lower than the wholesale prices of supermarkets in the area."

Currently, the Center is coordinating with the JICA (Japan) project to select products and attract investors to support the consumption of products for local people; leveraging methods and funding, and proposing that they build a value chain for egg production in Vinh City.

"The egg product planning will help farmers understand that applying technical procedures must meet requirements, and breeders must also cooperate with each other to build their own product brands. The center is also coordinating with the Sub-Department of Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries Quality Management to certify the quality and affix labels to Vinh chicken eggs," Mr. Nguyen Quy Linh added.

Thanh Tam