Livestock farmers 'getting ready' to restore herds to welcome Tet market

There are only three months left until the Lunar New Year of the Horse 2026 – the time when the market for livestock and poultry meat consumption increases the most in the year. In Ho Chi Minh City, the atmosphere of preparing for the livestock farming season to serve Tet is becoming bustling. From large-scale farms to small-scale farms, people are "bustling" to restore their herds, but they are also worried about fluctuations in disease and input prices.

Mr. Ly Trung Van, Nghia Thanh commune ( Ho Chi Minh City) takes care of his flock of chickens to prepare for the 2026 Lunar New Year market.

In early November, in Xuyen Moc commune, the livestock farming atmosphere has become lively again. Mr. Tran Thanh Binh's family has just released 2,000 Tau Vang chickens - a local breed with delicious meat, favored by the market. Compared to previous crops, his Tet chicken quantity has doubled. The current commercial chicken price is 90,000 - 95,000 VND/kg, expected to increase to about 100,000 VND/kg during Tet. After deducting expenses, for each batch of 1,000 chickens, Mr. Binh earns about 30 million VND. If all goes well, this Tet crop can earn nearly 60 million VND.

Mr. Binh said he is currently linking livestock farming from breeding to product consumption with a business in Dong Nai province, so he is not worried about the output of the poultry.

Not only Mr. Binh’s household, many other households in the city are also increasing their herds to “catch the wave” of year-end demand. Chicken breeding farms and hatcheries are operating at full capacity. However, behind that expectation are still worries about disease, rising prices of chicks and unpredictable market fluctuations.

Mr. Ly Trung Van, residing in Nghia Thanh commune, is raising 3,000 chickens to prepare for the Tet market, an increase of 2,500 chickens compared to the same period last year. According to Mr. Van, with a raising time of more than 5 months before being sold, the end of the year is often a time that makes chicken farmers worry. Constantly changing temperatures and high humidity cause bacteria and viruses to thrive, so it is necessary to clean the barn regularly, spray disinfectant periodically, and vaccinate fully. Raising with biosecurity is a mandatory requirement if you want healthy chickens, delicious meat, and good prices.

Currently, Ho Chi Minh City supplies the market with about 230 tons of poultry meat and 2 million eggs every day. Combined with imported goods and goods from other provinces, the supply basically meets domestic consumption needs. However, according to statistics from the agricultural sector, the city still depends on 65-70% of poultry imported from neighboring provinces for slaughter.

This dependence increases the risk of disease spread and price fluctuations when transportation, feed and breeding costs are unstable. Therefore, developing domestic livestock farming in the direction of biosafety, associated with a closed value chain, is considered a sustainable direction for Ho Chi Minh City.

Nguyen Xuan Trung, Deputy Head of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine of Ho Chi Minh City, said that herd restoration for Tet is an opportunity for people to restore production after a long period of being affected by the market. However, herd expansion needs to be linked to a plan, avoiding a trend. If it is developed massively without calculation, when supply exceeds demand, breeders will suffer. Breeders need to closely monitor the market, only herd restoration within their consumption capacity, especially for small households.

According to statistics, the total poultry herd in Ho Chi Minh City is currently over 18 million, expected to increase to over 20 million by Tet. The high demand for breeding stock has made the breeding market scarce, with prices increasing by 10-15% compared to the same period last year. This is a big challenge for small-scale breeders who depend on breeding stock from private farms.

Restocking for Tet is not only an opportunity to increase income but also a “test of resistance” for the city’s agricultural sector. Just one outbreak of avian influenza can cause all herd growth to be lost. Therefore, along with disease prevention recommendations, the City’s Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine requires livestock farms to register for disease surveillance, vaccinate regularly, and properly handle waste.

Disease management is strictly implemented from transportation, slaughter to distribution. All slaughterhouses must ensure veterinary hygiene conditions, with supervision by specialized forces. At the same time, Ho Chi Minh City is promoting the application of information technology in product traceability, helping consumers easily verify food quality.

To ensure a stable food supply in late 2025 and early 2026, the city's agricultural sector has proposed many solutions such as strengthening high-tech, biosafety livestock farms and areas, encouraging stable maintenance and reasonable herd restoration. Food distribution enterprises sign contracts to purchase products with qualified farms, and at the same time increase frozen meat reserves to stabilize prices. At the same time, strengthen control of livestock and poultry transportation, ensuring all activities are supervised by veterinary agencies....

The city is currently encouraging closed-loop farming models, applying technology and recycling waste treatment. Farms invest in cooling systems, exhaust fans, and automatic disinfectant misting systems to help minimize risks. Some units also cooperate with technology companies to install sensors to monitor temperature, humidity, and poultry health.

At the same time, the agricultural sector promotes chain linkages between households - cooperatives - enterprises, creating stable output, reducing the situation of "good harvest, low price". This is also the foundation for forming disease-free livestock farming areas, qualified to export products in the future.

Ho Chi Minh City livestock farmers are placing high hopes on this Tet season, not only because Tet is an opportunity to increase income for livestock farmers, but also because of the belief in a more modern, safe and sustainable livestock industry. Farmers only hope for a stable market, free of disease, so they can have a warm and prosperous Tet after a year of hard work.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/kinh-te/nguoi-chan-nuoi-ruc-rich-tai-dan-don-thi-truong-tet-20251110132108896.htm