Pig prices increase, farmers still cautious about restocking

Happy but still worried

Having just sold a batch of 20 pigs, Mr. Vu Van Thang, the owner of a pig farm in Thanh Hung commune ( Dien Bien district), is very excited because the price of live pigs has increased. Mr. Thang shared: “In the past, we had to make up for the losses because the price of live pigs sometimes dropped too low, we could not sell them, and if we continued to raise them, the cost would increase. Now, with the price ranging from 62,000 - 65,000 VND/kg, pig farmers have made a profit. Because we can take the initiative in breeding pigs, after deducting all costs, each pig weighs about 100kg, and we make a profit of 1 - 1.2 million VND/pig.”

Mr. Thao A Lu's family (Sinh Phin commune, Tua Chua district) is excited when the price of live pigs increases.

In recent days, the family of Mr. Thao A Lu, De De Hu II village, Sinh Phinh commune (Tua Chua district) has been very excited when the price of live pigs has increased again. Mr. Lu said: “The family raises 10-20 pigs. This is one of the main sources of income for the family. Currently, the pigs are ready to be sold, right when the price of pigs is high, the family is very happy. Compared to this time last year, the price of live pigs has increased by 15,000 - 20,000 VND/kg. In addition, the price of animal feed has also been adjusted down by 300 - 500 VND/kg. With this price, farmers can make a profit after a long time of struggling with losses due to high feed prices and low selling prices of pigs.”

The high price of live pigs is also a source of joy for most households, especially pig farming enterprises. According to authorities, the reason for the increase in live pig prices is partly due to increased market demand. Normally, at the beginning of the year, after selling to serve the Tet market, people will focus on repopulating their herds. However, at that time, African swine fever recurred, making repopulating difficult. Many households and farms reduced the number of pigs; many small-scale farmers even temporarily stopped repopulating their herds due to losses caused by the disease. This leads to a shortage of supply compared to demand.

The price of live pigs has increased, farmers have made a profit of millions of VND/pig, but many households have no more pigs to sell because of the "sweeping" African swine fever. For example, in the case of the family of Ms. Tran Thi Luong, Team 2, Thanh Hung Commune (Dien Bien District), the African swine fever outbreak in July 2024 caused the herd of 20 pigs that were almost ready to be sold to die. When the price of live pigs increased, the family had no more pigs to sell because of the disease.

The resurgence of African swine fever has left many families without pigs to sell. In the photo: People in Thanh Hung commune (Dien Bien district) weigh pigs infected with African swine fever before destroying them.

According to Mr. Do Thai My, Head of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Veterinary and Fisheries of the province, since the beginning of the year, African swine fever in the province has been complicated. So far, the disease has occurred in 198 households in 75 villages and hamlets of 25 communes in 8 districts, towns and cities (except Dien Bien Dong and Muong Ang districts); the total number of pigs that had to be destroyed was 757, weighing more than 39 tons, mainly concentrated in Dien Bien district. Many households have had dozens of pigs die, causing huge economic losses.

Pig farming in the province has faced many paradoxes in the past 2 years: Feed prices increase - pig prices decrease, pig prices increase - there are no more pigs to sell. Many households and businesses have had to reduce their herds, even "hang up" their pens because they could not bear the losses. Through a survey in the province, the majority of small-scale households are currently only raising pigs sparingly or "hanging up" their pens, while large enterprises and farms have mostly reduced their herds. Therefore, when pig prices increase, there are no more pigs to sell.

Not in a hurry to rebuild the herd

The high price of live pigs has kindled hope for pig farmers. However, many households are still hesitant about whether or not to increase or restore their herds at the present time. Because, according to the calculations of farmers, the investment cost for each pig until it reaches the weight for sale (about 100kg) is about 4 - 5 million VND. Meanwhile, the risk of disease is currently very unpredictable. Besides, the price of live pigs on the market is also unstable, very difficult to predict. Therefore, if you rush to restore or increase your herd while the price is unstable or there is an epidemic, you will suffer losses, not be able to recover your capital, or even lose everything.

The pigs of Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh's family in An Binh village, Thanh Hung commune are about to be sold, but the family has no plans to restock.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh, An Binh village, Thanh Hung commune (Dien Bien district) is one of the large-scale pig farmers in the commune (previously, his family raised 50-100 pigs for each batch), but he has not yet restored or increased his herd. According to Mr. Thanh, he is very worried about the unstable price of live pigs and the risk of disease, especially African swine fever, which is still complicated in the commune.

Recently, after selling 5 pigs, the family of Ms. Mao Thi Chuong in Tien Phong village, Muong Bang commune (Tua Chua district) cleaned the barn to prepare for raising a new batch. However, Ms. Chuong did not dare to raise a large number of pigs, only raising about 10 pigs (half the size of the barn). Besides, the price has increased but is not stable, difficult to predict and input costs are still high, so the family is not in a hurry to increase the herd.

Pig prices are high, but Ms. Mao Thi Chuong (Muong Bang commune, Tua Chua district) does not dare to re-herd or increase her herd.

Currently, the total pig herd in the province is nearly 322,000, mainly raised by households. The increase in the price of live pigs is one of the positive signs, creating momentum for the province's livestock industry to flourish. This is both an opportunity and a challenge, as farmers are still worried about the quality and risks of herd restoration. Because according to market trends, prices go down and then up, and scarce items will increase in price.

Mr. Do Thai My, Head of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Veterinary and Fisheries, said: During this time, when considering and choosing to restock, breeders and businesses also need to consider and proactively monitor signals from the market. At the same time, special attention should be paid to implementing disease prevention and control to ensure the safety of livestock. For households that have been affected by African swine fever, it is necessary to pay attention to disinfecting barns to avoid the risk of disease recurrence after restocking.

Source: https://baodienbienphu.com.vn/tin-tuc/kinh-te/217839/gia-lon-hoi-tang-nguoi-nuoi-van-than-trong-tai-dan