The price of animal feed needs to be stabilized.

Livestock farmers hope that authorities will find solutions to stabilize animal feed prices.

Pork prices are fluctuating wildly, with more decreases than increases.

According to some traders in the province, from mid-July to the beginning of August, the price of live pigs continuously decreased due to increased supply from large farms and imported meat from Thailand to Vietnam. At one point, the price of live pigs was only 56,000 VND/kg (the break-even price), leaving pig farmers in a precarious situation.

Ms. Nguyen Thi My Dung, residing in Phuoc Vinh commune, Chau Thanh district, said that her family currently has about 10 overgrown pigs, each weighing approximately 110kg. Ms. Dung stated that she had been trying to sell the pigs since July 26th, but some traders came to inspect them and offered only 56,000 VND/kg. Considering the cost of piglets and feed, this price was not profitable, so she refused to sell.

Having just sold 23 pigs at 57,000 VND/kg, Ms. Hanh, residing in Long Phi hamlet, Long Thuan commune, Ben Cau district, said that since the end of July, she had repeatedly called buyers but no one came. It wasn't until the beginning of August, when the price of pork increased, that someone finally came to buy. Because she couldn't afford the daily feed costs, she decided to sell them instead of waiting any longer.

“My family currently has 3 sows and 23 fattening pigs. Two of the sows have recently given birth to 25 piglets, about 20 days old. So, even though pork prices are low, I still have to sell them to clear the pens and prepare to separate the piglets. Besides, ‘getting rid’ of the fattening pigs will help me pay off my debt to the feed supplier and provide capital for the next litter,” added Mrs. Hanh.

According to traders, demand for pork has decreased sharply due to economic difficulties and consumers cutting back on spending. In addition, demand for pork in industrial zones and collective kitchens has decreased as many companies have laid off workers. While demand for pork may increase towards the end of the year, prices are unlikely to rise accordingly, as large farms are gradually increasing their production.

People hope for stable prices for animal feed.

For over two years, animal feed prices have continuously increased, causing difficulties for livestock farmers as the prices of livestock at slaughter have dropped sharply. Many farmers hope that the authorities will find solutions to reduce and stabilize animal feed prices.

Mr. Quoc, the owner of a pig farm in Tan Chau district, said that raising a pig from birth to market requires about 9 bags of mixed feed. Previously, this cost was only about 2.9-3.2 million VND, and the total cost of each pig until market was about 3.8 million VND. However, with the current high price of animal feed, the cost of each pig when it is ready for market is over 5.5 million VND/pig, not including labor costs and electricity and water expenses.

According to several animal feed dealers in the province, in the past two years, animal feed prices have increased approximately 13 times consecutively, with each increase ranging from 200-350 VND/kg. With current feed prices, small-scale farmers, and even large farms, are finding it very difficult to make a profit. In particular, at one point, the price of live pigs dropped to around 48,000 VND/kg, causing heavy losses for farmers. Many small-scale farmers temporarily halted restocking or even left their barns empty.

Minh Duong

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