In recent days, the price of live pigs has reached 83,000 VND/kg in the southern provinces, bringing great profits to farmers and businesses. However, the price is not expected to increase much more because there is imported meat and farmers who have restored their herds will be able to supply the market in the near future.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, as of February 2025, the total pig herd nationwide reached over 30 million, an increase of about 3.2% over the same period last year.
A slaughterhouse owner in Dong Nai said that previously, the facility slaughtered 250 pigs per night, in addition to the supply from FDI enterprises, most of the pigs were imported from farming households. However, it is currently only doing so at a moderate rate, from 30-40 pigs/night and has stopped taking pigs from farming households. Acknowledging this situation, the Dong Nai Livestock Association said that the high price of live pigs is due to a sharp decrease in supply. The total pig herd in Dong Nai is currently about 1.92 million, down 10% over the same period last year, of which farm farming accounts for more than 90% of the total herd.
According to experts, before Tet, farming households sold pigs en masse for consumption during the long holiday, and so far they have not been able to restore their herds immediately. Meanwhile, many localities with a long tradition of livestock farming have tightened control procedures, forcing livestock farmers to relocate to more remote areas and applying stricter environmental management procedures; temporarily affecting production.
Mr. Le Phuc Hau, Head of Sales Department of Hoc Mon Agricultural Wholesale Market in Ho Chi Minh City (the largest pork supplier in the city) said: “The reduction in the amount of pork imported to the market is not due to a lack of supply, but rather that traders base their purchases on the purchasing power of the market to import goods appropriately, avoiding unsold and unsold goods. Although the price of live pigs has increased, because they have to ensure the signed contracts, the price of meat will not increase suddenly.”
Pork supply will stabilize soon around the end of March
As a large-scale pig farming enterprise supplying the market, Mr. Le Xuan Huy, Senior Deputy General Director of CP VN Livestock Company, said that the current situation is only a short-term supply shortage.
The supply will soon be supplemented by imported meat when businesses calculate suitable profits. Livestock businesses will also increase the output of pigs to the market and pork prices will cool down. Moreover, pork prices cannot increase because consumers will choose other foods with lower prices. It is predicted that in just 1-2 months, the pork supply will be supplemented and pork prices will gradually decrease. The Department of Livestock also expects that by the end of March, pork prices will cool down.
Mr. Nguyen Kim Doan, Vice President of the Livestock Association of Dong Nai province, also said: “Currently, the number of pigs raised has increased sharply in large-scale farms of enterprises. Therefore, the supply shortage will only last for a short period, and in the second quarter of 2025, supply will return to abundance.”
Minh Lam