According to a report by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, livestock and poultry farming developed relatively stably in the first half of this year. The total pig herd is estimated to have increased by 2.9%; live meat production reached 2.54 million tons, an increase of 5.1% compared to the same period last year. The poultry flock increased by 2.3%; live meat production reached 1.21 million tons, an increase of 4.9%, and poultry egg production reached nearly 10.1 billion eggs, an increase of 5.1%...

The increase in herd size also means that businesses in our country have to import more raw materials to produce animal feed. Because domestic raw materials are insufficient for production, our livestock industry relies heavily on imports.

According to preliminary statistics from the General Department of Customs, as of mid-July 2025, Vietnamese businesses had imported approximately $1.97 billion worth of 6.62 million tons of corn and soybeans. These are two types of raw materials used in animal feed production.

Specifically, Vietnam imported 5.45 million tons of corn, valued at approximately $1.36 billion. Compared to the same period last year, corn imports increased sharply by 40.2%, but the value only increased slightly by 5.4%.

Similarly, Vietnam's soybean imports totaled 1.17 million tons, a slight increase of 3.5% compared to the same period last year; the value was approximately $614 million, a sharp decrease of 16.5%.

According to the leader of a livestock feed manufacturing company in our country, feed costs account for nearly 70% of production costs. In recent years, the global market for livestock feed raw materials has experienced a dramatic increase, significantly impacting Vietnam's livestock industry.

Consequently, the continuous increase in animal feed prices, reaching historical highs and remaining at high levels, has driven up the production costs of livestock and poultry meat.

In recent months, the cooling prices of corn and soybeans have created opportunities for businesses to purchase large quantities. This is also why imports of these grains, especially corn, have increased sharply.

Regarding corn specifically, Vietnam is among the top 30 largest corn-producing countries in the world. However, our country is also among the world's largest corn importers, ranking only behind China, Europe, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, Egypt, and others.

As the largest supplier, a type of grain from Brazil is flooding into Vietnam. Vietnam spent $16.7 billion importing agricultural and aquatic products in the first five months of 2023. Brazil became the largest supplier of agricultural products, with corn from the country pouring into Vietnam.