With the farm-gate price of live pigs at 78,000 VND/kg, a representative of the Hoa My General Service Livestock Cooperative (Van Thai Commune, Ung Hoa, Hanoi) said that they are making a net profit of 3-4 million VND/quintal. Compared to the Lunar New Year, the price of live pigs has increased by about 10,000 VND/kg.
Speaking to Dan Viet reporter, Mr. Nguyen Van Thang, Deputy Director of Hoa My General Service Livestock Cooperative (Van Thai commune, Ung Hoa, Hanoi) said that before Tet, the price of live pigs at the cooperative was only around 64,000 - 68,000 VND/kg. After that, the price of live pigs increased to 70,000 VND/kg.
In particular, even though the peak consumption period of Lunar New Year has passed, the price of live pigs is still increasing, making him and other farmers feel "strange".
Mr. Thang said: At the cooperative, the break-even price is from 40,000 - 42,000 VND/kg, minus about 5% of loss and risk costs, for each quintal of live pigs, the cooperative makes a profit of more than 3 million VND.
Explaining the reason for the continuous increase in live pig prices in the context of the country's total pig herd increasing and the low price of poultry meat, Mr. Nguyen Van Thang analyzed: In my opinion, the main reason is that before Tet, there was an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, causing many farms to suffer losses and have to be destroyed.
The second reason is that livestock farming is now mainly concentrated in large farms, while small-scale livestock farming has decreased sharply.
"The mentality of small-scale farmers is that when they see the price of live pigs increase, they rush to buy piglets to raise. After 3-4 months of massive raising, the price will gradually decrease. When the price of live pigs is cheap, they are afraid to raise pigs.
Meanwhile, large farms or businesses often have a longer-term vision, they keep the herd stable as well as have a firm grasp of information and market rules at a relatively high level, so they can adjust output according to the season. For example, at Hoa My Cooperative, we constantly update the disease situation, the import and export situation of surrounding countries, from which we decide to increase or decrease the herd" - Mr. Thang analyzed.
Mr. Nguyen Van Dao, owner of a pig farm in Vinh Tan commune (Vinh Cuu district, Dong Nai province) also said that before Tet, the epidemic had caused great damage to many farms. In particular, the acute diarrhea epidemic caused great damage to many local herds of gilts.
This is also the reason why the supply of piglets has decreased sharply, causing the price of piglets to increase day by day. Currently, piglets weighing 8-10kg/head cost 2.6 million VND, almost double the normal price. Large piglets weighing about 20kg/head are almost unsaleable. In particular, the supply of gilts is even more scarce.
Household pig farming in Binh Chanh district, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Nguyen Vy
However, according to Mr. Nguyen Van Thang - Deputy Director of Hoa My Livestock Cooperative, the continuous increase in live pig prices since the Lunar New Year until now is not due to a lack of supply and excess demand, but actually reflects the rules of the market, helping farmers make a profit, making up for previous risks.
In 2024, some members of the cooperative were damaged by foot-and-mouth disease, combined with the consequences of African swine fever from the previous period, leading to a sharp decline in the number of sows in the cooperative.
Mr. Thang said: "Up to now, we are still gradually recovering, but the scale has only reached about 70% of the total herd compared to before the epidemic. Previously, the cooperative had 31 members, but now there are only more than 20 members, because many farms have completely abandoned the profession.
"In my opinion, the price of live pigs has reached a threshold and will not increase any higher. As long as the epidemic is controlled, farmers will be able to maintain their herds. According to my observation, there are very few small-scale farmers left, and they do not dare to expand their scale because they are afraid of risks. Cooperatives are trying to maintain the number of sows, only businesses with strong capital and land funds continue to expand," Mr. Thang shared.
Sharing the same view, Mr. Nguyen Tri Cong, Chairman of Dong Nai Livestock Association, said that in the near future, the price of live pigs will decrease due to the large amount of imported pork, double that of previous years. Mr. Cong also predicted that the price of pigs will decrease within the next 1-2 months.
According to a report by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, in February 2025, Vietnam spent more than 373 million USD (more than 9,500 billion VND) to import meat. This figure increased by 40.5% compared to the same period last year.
Previously, in January 2025, the General Department of Customs said that meat imports of all kinds reached more than 80.8 thousand tons, worth more than 174.7 million USD, up 7.7% in volume and 13.3% in value over the same period in 2024.
Therefore, Dong Nai Livestock Association does not encourage farmers to boost herd restoration and herd increase during this time because the price of piglets is too high, the large investment cost will increase the cost of pig production. Farmers rush to restore herds when the price is high, when it is time to sell, the price of piglets may drop sharply again, falling into a vicious cycle.
Source: https://danviet.vn/gia-lon-hoi-tang-cao-ban-1-con-nguoi-nuoi-lai-3-4-trieu-dong-giam-doc-htx-noi-ro-nguyen-nhan-2025031515205404.htm
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