Farmers are focusing on restocking their cattle and goat herds.

With rising goat prices, farmers are excited and confidently restocking their herds.

Having just sold a 6-month-old calf to a trader for 19 million VND to fatten it up, Mr. Nguyen Van Hiep from Binh Thanh commune, Giong Trom district, is delighted that cattle prices have increased after many years of decline. Mr. Hiep said that after the Covid-19 pandemic (in 2021), cattle prices dropped significantly, falling from 8-10 million VND per calf (6 months old), with female calves (6 months old) dropping to only 7-10 million VND per calf. Many farmers were forced to reduce their herds due to increased feed and straw costs, resulting in no profit for livestock farmers. Mr. Hiep himself had to reduce his herd from 7-8 cows to just 3 breeding cows when prices fell.

According to Mr. Hiep, each year a cow gives birth to one calf, and with the current price increase, farmers can earn a profit of 4-5 million VND per male calf and 2-3 million VND per female calf. Mr. Hiep explained that the rising price of cattle has encouraged farmers to invest in breeding stock to replenish their herds, thus driving up the price of breeding cows to 10-15 million VND per animal (depending on the breed). Currently, Mr. Hiep continues to keep female calves to increase his family's breeding herd.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tam, from My Hoa commune, Ba Tri district, shared that he previously raised five breeding cows. When cow prices dropped, he only kept one breeding cow. Now, he wants to restock, but the supply of breeding cows is scarce, prices have increased, and he has to search for them to buy. It is likely that cow prices will rise again to their previous levels in the near future, making it very difficult and expensive to find breeding cows.

According to cattle traders in the province, the demand for beef cattle is currently increasing, while the supply is decreasing. This is due to the previous drop in cattle prices, which led farmers to reduce their herds, resulting in lower production than before. In addition, reduced production in beef-producing regions nationwide has contributed to the increase in beef prices. Currently, the purchase price of beef has increased from 16-18 million VND to 22-23 million VND per 100kg. Furthermore, farmers are actively rebuilding and expanding their herds, thus driving up the price of breeding cattle in response to market demand.

Besides cattle, goat farmers in the province are also delighted with the rising price of goats. Mr. Nguyen Van Lam, from Chau Binh commune, Giong Trom district, said: "Currently, the price of goat kids is 160-180 thousand VND/kg, an increase of 40-50 thousand VND/kg, and the price of goat meat has increased by 20-30% compared to before." According to Mr. Lam, many households have resumed raising goats after a period of falling prices, mostly buying breeding goats to expand their herds. Mr. Lam shared that he currently has 4 female goats, keeping the kids to increase the herd to 10 female goats, expanding the scale in the near future.

According to the Chairman of the Provincial Farmers' Association, Nguyen Van Ban, the province has over 200,000 cattle and over 185,000 goats. These two livestock species are chosen by farmers for economic development, adapting to current climate change conditions due to their drought and salinity tolerance and readily available local feed sources. Currently, farmers utilize coconut groves to intercrop grass for feeding cattle and goats. This is an effective solution to help farmers increase their income on the same area of cultivated land. In addition, the province has developed the Ba Tri Beef brand to help market and sustainably develop cattle farming in the future.

Text and photos: Phuc Hau

Source: https://baodongkhoi.vn/nong-dan-tap-trung-tai-dan-bo-va-de-11042025-a145000.html