The livestock sector is asked to urgently implement solutions to stabilise and develop poultry farming and grass-fed cattle. — AFP
HANOI: Vietnam’s livestock industry has set a production growth target of 4% to 5% in 2024 and is expected to make up 28% to 30% of the country’s agricultural production.
The goals were announced at a meeting in Hanoi by the Livestock Production Department under the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry to review the sector’s performance in 2023 and deploy plans for 2024.
According to the department, the production of meat is expected to reach about 7.98 million tonnes in 2024 with a year-on-year (y-o-y) increase of 3.8%, including over 4.87 million tonnes of pork (up 4%) and over 2.31 million tonnes of poultry meat (up 3.1%).
Meanwhile, the output of eggs is expected to surge 3.7% y-o-y to about 19.68 billion, and milk production is expected to hit 1.28 million tonnes, up 6.7%.
In addition, it is expected that Vietnam will produce 25,800 tonnes of honey next year and over 20.5 million tonnes of industrial feed, an increase of 9.8% and 2.5%, respectively, compared with the figures in 2023.
Agriculture and Rural Development Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien asked agencies and local authorities to continue implementing restructuring plans in the industry, pay more attention to the market’s demands, promote the advantages of specific production areas, and key animals, increase production efficiency, and boost sustainable development.
Tien also requested that the livestock sector urgently implement solutions to stabilise and develop poultry farming and grass-fed cattle to meet the demand for essential foods like meat, eggs, and milk.
They also need to mobilise resources for Vietnamese livestock products to better access markets, thus increasing the export potential of products.
At the conference, Pham Kim Dang, deputy director of the Livestock Production Department, said the production in the livestock industry maintained stability, despite an increase in animal-feed prices and the fluctuating prices of livestock products as well as competition from imported products and smuggling. Animal diseases were also controlled well.
According to the department, the total heads of pigs in 2023 is estimated to reach 30.3 million, an increase of 4.2% over the same period in 2022. It also estimates growth of 2.6% and 1% to 558.6 million units for the poultry herd and 6.4 million for the cow herd, respectively.
It is estimated that in 2023, the total output of meat of all kinds will reach over 7.6 million tonnes, an increase of 3.5%, including 4.68 million tonnes of pork; 2.24 million tonnes of poultry; 4.68 million tonnes of buffalo meat, 630,000 tonnes of beef and about 50,000 tonnes of goat and sheep.
The sector is estimated to have an output of 18.98 billion eggs, a rise of 3.9%, and 1.2 million tonnes of fresh milk, 7.2% higher compared to 2022. — Viet Nam News/ANN
