Vietnam spends more than 1 billion USD importing foreign meat and milk in 3 months

Imported meat is sold at a supermarket in Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: QUANG DINH

Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment informed about the production and business situation of agriculture, forestry and fishery in the first 3 months of 2025, notably with the import figures of meat and milk.

In the import of some major commodities, the import of livestock products increased by 34.3% compared to the same period in 2024. In just 3 months, Vietnam spent 1.04 billion USD (nearly 27,000 billion VND), with nearly 347 million USD spent in March alone.

Of which, imports of milk and dairy products reached 347 million USD; an increase of nearly 42%; imports of meat and meat by-products were about 437 million USD, an increase of nearly 18% and edible by-products after animal slaughter increased significantly.

Looking at the above figures, it can be seen that Vietnamese people are increasingly using imported meat.

On April 8, Tuoi Tre Online recorded the imported meat market, which has a cheaper price than domestic meat. The products mainly come from European countries, Brazil, Canada and Australia.

Specifically, the price of imported frozen pork is only about 60 - 65% of domestic meat, ribless pork belly is about 80,000 VND/kg; lean thigh and shoulder are from 80,000 - 85,000 VND/kg; ham is just over 60,000 VND/kg; pig heart is 40,000 VND/kg; back bone and pig bone products are around 20,000 - 30,000 VND/kg.

Pork udder alone costs 150,000 VND/kg, while domestic pork udder is sold at processing stores for 300,000 VND/kg, twice as high.

In the context of high domestic pork prices, many housewives choose imported meat as an alternative.

Some experts assess that from the perspective of livestock farmers, the increase in meat imports is a great pressure on the development of the industry if viewed from the perspective of livestock farmers. "In terms of the market, from the perspective of consumers, this is also beneficial for consumers. This is the law of the market, enhancing the competitiveness of the Vietnamese livestock industry. And to create a fair competitive environment, ensuring a source of quality foreign meat, authorities need to strengthen control and supervision of the types and quality of imported meat," said an economic expert in Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnam's meat exports in the first quarter of 2025 were just over 131 million USD

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the export value of livestock products in the first 3 months of 2025 reached 131.3 million USD, an increase of 18.5% over the same period in 2024.

Notably, the export of milk and dairy products reached 28.5 million USD, down 16.4%; the export of meat, meat by-products and edible by-products after animal slaughter reached 43 million USD, up 17.8%...

Tuoitre.vn

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/viet-nam-chi-hon-1-ti-usd-nhap-khau-thit-sua-ngoai-trong-3-thang-20250408085832476.htm