Source: thanhnien.vn
Statistics from the General Department of Customs show that the import value of livestock products in the first three months of 2023 reached nearly US$741 million, up 1.5% over the same period in 2022. In which, the import value of meat, meat by-products and edible animal by-products were estimated at US$302.3 million, up 0.5% over the same period last year.
Frozen pork products are sold in supermarkets at competitive prices, floating goods are only priced at 30-50%.
Thus, on average, Vietnamese people spend more than 3.3 million USD, equivalent to 75 billion VND per day, to import meat and meat products from abroad to Vietnam for consumption. According to a reporter of Thanh Nien Newspaper, in addition to a very small number of high-quality, branded meat products from Japan, the US, Australia or Canada, most of them are frozen meat, bones, offal and by-products of meat products. pigs, buffaloes, cows, chickens… with an average import price of only about 1 USD/kg. That is why in recent times, on the market, there are many types of pork and chicken with the price of only 40,000 – 50,000 VND/kg, while buffalo and cow meat costs 100,000 – 120,000 VND/kg…
It is worth mentioning that while the domestic market supply exceeds demand, but imports still increase, it is evidence of the impact of imported meat on the domestic livestock industry. Mr. Nguyen Van Ngoc, Vice Chairman of Dong Nai Livestock Association, said that importing meat is normal, especially under the principle of reciprocity when Vietnam joins free trade agreements. This is partly positive because it contributes to promoting the development of domestic livestock production when there is fierce competition from major producers.
“However, the problem is that we do not control imported meat. A lot of low-quality, expired products and meat by-products are imported to Vietnam and sold at a cheap price of 30,000 – 40,000 VND// kg. How can domestic farmers compete. Those by-products, abroad, they still have to pay for treatment. I still earnestly petition, the authorities, especially the The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is reviewing the import licensing of meat and offal by-products.In no other country is it easy to buy tons of chicken “jewel” (testicles) in the market. like in Vietnam”, Mr. Ngoc said.
In addition to the problem of imported meat, the sharp decline in the meat market in recent years is also due to the agricultural industry’s failure to control livestock. According to the General Statistics Office (GSO), compared with the same period last year, in the first quarter of 2023, the output of live-weight beef for sale in the quarter reached 130,500 tons, up 2.8%. The total number of pigs in the country as of the end of March was 24.66 million heads, up 6.2%; The output of live pigs for slaughter was nearly 1.2 million tons, up 7.5%. The total number of poultry in the country as of the end of March was 532 million heads, up 2.4%; poultry meat output for slaughter reached 563,200 tons, up 4.2%…
