Solutions for livestock industry to overcome difficulties

Dong Nai is the province that has the largest scale of pig farming with the total number of 1.2 million pigs. However, the status of disease has become complicated resulting in a sharp decrease in pork prices, which has leaded to the fact that the larger the scales of farming are, the more losses livestock households suffer

* Risks

For the past 10 years, pork price has never fallen under its breakeven point for such a long time. Since the beginning of March 2012, the rumor about forbidden substances used in pig breeding has caused pork prices to decrease from 50-52thousand VND/kg to 38-40 VND/kg. Additionally, blue-ear disease spread throughout the province right after the rumor had been corrected, pork price hardly had a chance to recover but declined by 5-7 thousand VND /kg.

 Ms Nguyen Thi Sao, owner of a pig farm in Duc Long 2 ward, Gia Tan 2 commune (Thong Nhat province) said “each month my farm sells about 50 pigs. For more than 4 months, the selling price has been fluctuating around 36-38 thousand VND/kg , although I  took care of breeding or food mixture by myself, I still incurred a loss of 20 million VND per month. If the price does not increase, I might have to decrease the scale of the herd to cut losses”.

Beside the decrease in prices, many kinds of diseases are threatening the herds, business owners have to deal with kinds of risks. Ms Nguyen Kim Doan, a farm owner in Gia Kiem commune (Thong Nhat province) complained that “Breeding pig now is like gambling! Currently the other farm owners and I are trying to maintain businesses, hoping that at the end of the year when demand for pig meat increases, prices will go up. However, at that time if the State allows pork import and pork price is not able to recover, many owners will lose their facilities and lands due to loans to maintain our herds”

* Solutions

On July 24^th,  Dong Nai livestock association invited breeding companies and farm owners within and outside the province as well as many scientists, representatives of relevant departments and sectors to a seminar in order to seek for solutions for the problems in livestock business. The purpose of the seminar was to search for solutions enabling business owners to get over risks.

Mr Nguyen Chien Tuong, Director of Dong Nai agricultural and animal products joint stock company, said that “the total number of pigs in my company is around 20.000 pigs, during the time when diseases are threatening us, prices are low, we hope that the state could reduce taxes on imported feedings in order to decrease costs, at the same time establish the technical barrier for imported pork to protect domestic consumers and farmers”

Associate professor, Dr. La Van Kinh, Vice President of Southern Institute for Agricultural Science and Technology proposed a solution, which is, in order to rescue domestic livestock business, all departments and sectors must support farmers with the knowledge of diseases prevention, help them increase the productivity of sows to cut costs. In reality, the blue-ear-pig disease usually occurs in separate farms with poor care and inadequate obligatory vaccination. This year, the blue ear pig disease occurred in previous year infected regions.

Mr Le Van Me, Director of the Phu Son breeding joint-stock company (Trang Bom commune) stated: “Pork price has decreased sharply due to the consequence of the blue ear pig disease. The disease mainly showed itself at separate farms. In the future, the Dong Nai farming coalition should make more efforts in giving more instruction in safe procedures for breeding and nurturing, as well as preventive and curing methods for diseases”

According to some other farm owners, feeding materials accounts for roughly 70% the costs of pork, these feeding materials are mostly imported, therefore it should be difficult to deduct the costs. In order to have cheap input, the state should establish big domestic material areas to actively contribute to production. Besides, the prices stabilizing policy should be directed to farmers.   

Director of Agriculture and Rural Development Department Pham Minh Dao perceived that, in order for the provincial livestock business to sustainably develop its operation, there should be a link among business. Big farms must cooperate with one another in breeding, nurturing, feeding, finishing, consuming and establishing material areas right within the province so that costs can be cut down.

Source: Dong Nai news paper