The mystery of hundreds of thousands of tons of buffalo meat "disappearing" when imported into Vietnam

(Dan Tri) - Every year, Vietnam imports hundreds of thousands of tons of buffalo meat. However, consumers almost never see this product on the market. Why is there such a mysterious "disappearance"?

Buffalo meat is "invisible" in the market

According to the Import-Export Department ( Ministry of Industry and Trade ), in the first 10 months of the year, Vietnam imported 811,300 tons of meat and meat products, worth 1.62 billion USD, up 15.3% in volume and 14.4% in value over the same period last year. Among the types of imported meat, frozen buffalo meat accounts for a large proportion, accounting for nearly 17% in volume and more than 30.6% in value.

India remains the largest market supplying meat and meat products to Vietnam, accounting for 18.52% of the country's total imports. Specifically, Vietnam imported 150,200 tons from India, worth 535.52 million USD, down 5.8% in volume, up 0.8% in value over the same period in 2024.

According to businesses, the source of meat imported from India is mainly buffalo meat and beef, in which the source of buffalo meat is increasing sharply. In 2023, Vietnam imported about 130,800 tons of buffalo meat from India, the figure in 2024 is 194,060 tons.

In a report from the Customs Department in the first 6 months of this year, Vietnam imported more than 103,000 tons of buffalo meat from India, worth more than 287 million USD, an increase of 14.2% in volume over the same period last year.

Imported buffalo meat (Photo: VNF).

Despite importing such a large amount of buffalo meat, in markets such as supermarkets, meat retail stores, restaurants, and even in many processed foods, buffalo meat or ingredients made from buffalo meat are almost nowhere to be found. The mysterious “disappearance” of imported buffalo meat in Vietnam raises many suspicions about fraud in origin and name.

Recently, the authorities caught a food production facility in Hanoi "magically" transforming dozens of tons of imported buffalo meat into high-quality beef, and selling it to many provinces and cities across the country. After that, the Hanoi Police Investigation Agency issued a decision to prosecute the criminal case and prosecute the accused, and ordered the temporary detention of 4 subjects for the crime of "Producing and trading in counterfeit food and foodstuffs".

In addition, imported frozen buffalo meat is also "transformed" into local Northwest buffalo jerky, beef jerky or other processed products...

According to many experts, the amount of imported buffalo meat that may have been counterfeited as beef for consumption in the domestic market is much higher than the amount detected by the authorities. Because with the naked eye, it is difficult for consumers to distinguish between buffalo meat and beef. Especially when processed and seasoned, it is even more difficult to distinguish.

Mr. Nguyen Kim Doan, Vice President of Dong Nai Livestock Association, said that it is very difficult for consumers to distinguish between buffalo meat and beef by senses; only experts in this field can recognize it.

“Experts distinguish between buffalo and beef by the layer of fat. Buffalo fat is white, while cow fat is yellow. Now consumers buy products based on trust. When they go to the market and the seller says it is beef, they believe it, but how can they know if it is really beef or not?” Mr. Doan added.

In fact, the price difference between buffalo meat and beef is quite large, as beef is always sold at nearly twice the price of buffalo meat. Therefore, experts say that it is not impossible for individuals and organizations to use buffalo meat to fake beef in order to make higher profits.

Foreign meat "overwhelms" domestic meat

According to experts, Vietnam imports buffalo meat mainly from India due to competitive prices, abundant supply and short transportation time. India is famous for its Murrah buffalo breed for milk, raised in many different regions of the country. India is the country with the largest buffalo milk production in the world, reaching 30 million tons per year.

The total number of buffaloes in the country is decreasing due to many factors, including the increasing import of buffalo meat (Anh: Institute of Animal Husbandry).

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Duong, former Acting Director of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), said that after the Murrah buffaloes are dry, they will be sold for meat. At this point, the meat quality is poor, so when exported, its selling price is much lower than the domestic price.

A calculation shows that 1 kg of imported frozen buffalo meat costs between 70,000 and 140,000 VND/kg, about 50% cheaper than domestic buffalo meat.

Experts say that with low prices and high domestic demand, it is normal for businesses to import for sale if they comply with food safety control procedures and import procedures. The problem lies in the product consumption stage, when buffalo meat “disappears” after entering Vietnam, there is a risk of unfair competition and customer deception.

The Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) said that, in addition to the reason that imported buffalo meat is cheap, the number of buffalo in Vietnam has been continuously decreasing in recent years. The report shows that the number of buffalo herds has decreased from 2.333 million in 2020 to 2.023 million in 2024. In the first 10 months of 2025, the total number of buffaloes in the country reached more than 2 million, a decrease of 3.4%.

The reason for the decrease is due to the narrowing of grazing areas, scarce food sources, and lack of economic efficiency for families compared to other livestock models.

Too many imports reduce the domestic buffalo herd.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Son, Vice President of the Vietnam Animal Husbandry Association, shared that importing too much buffalo meat unintentionally hinders the development of the domestic buffalo herd. Currently, domestic animal husbandry is facing many difficulties due to increasingly scarce food sources, natural disasters, epidemics and consumption problems.

"If imports are not planned and not strictly managed, especially when smuggling is still happening, it will not only not encourage domestic livestock farming, but also cause loss of confidence among consumers," said Mr. Son.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/kinh-doanh/bi-an-hang-tram-nghin-tan-thit-trau-bien-mat-khi-nhap-vao-viet-nam-20251205131453002.htm