The Department of Animal Husbandry under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) said the pig herd has 30.3 million pigs in 2023, up 4.2 percent over the same period in 2022. Meanwhile, there are 2.2 million buffaloes, down 1 percent, 6.4 million cows, up 1 percent, and 558.6 million poultries, up 2.6 percent. 

It is estimated that total meat output is over 7.6 million tons, up 3.5 percent, including 4.68 million tons of pork, 2.24 million tons of poultry meat, 0.63 million tons of beef and buffalo meat, and 50,000 tons of goat and sheep meat of different kinds.

The poultry egg output is estimated at 18.98 billion, up 3.9 percent, and fresh milk 1.2 million tons, up 7.2 percent.

While animal herds have been growing steadily, chicken and pork prices have been volatile.

MARD reported that since August 2023, color-feathered chicken prices have been hovering around VND38,000-44,000 per kilogram in the south, and VND55,000-62,000 in the northern and central regions. In the first two weeks of December, the prices dropped by VND6,000 per kilogram compared with November.

Meanwhile, the production costs of white-feathered chicken were VND30,000-33,000 per kilogram, but farmers could only sell chicken at VND23,000 per kilogram in November, down VND7,000 compared with October.

Though white-feathered chicken prices moved up slightly in early December, they are still VND4,000-7,000 per kilogram lower than the average production cost.

In the first week of December, the live pig price was VND48,000 per kilogram on average, the lowest in 2023. Though the price increased to VND49,000 per kilogram in the last two weeks, it was still VND3,000 per kilogram lower than that of the same period last year. With the production cost is VND45,000-52,000 per kilogram, farmers are incurring losses.

MARD said that live pig prices have fallen because purchasing power has decreased. People are tightening their purse strings in the current conditions, while catering companies have lowered their demand as factories have scaled down production because of the lack of orders.

Meanwhile, domestic farmers have to compete with imports, which increased in the second half of 2023.

Pig prices sold to merchants have dropped, but prices quoted at traditional markets and supermarkets remain unchanged. This means that while slaughterhouses and retailers pocket big profits, farmers incur losses and people have to pay more for meat.

Vietnam imported 16.8 million tons of materials for making animal feed in 2023, worth $6.8 billion. 

Tam An