High pig prices encourage farmers to restore their herds

Pig prices remain high

According to the report of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), as of the end of February 2025, the total pig herd in the country was 26.8 million (not including 4.5 million piglets, up 3.2% over the same period last year), the poultry herd was more than 574 million (up 3.4%); the cattle and buffalo herds both decreased and only had 6.32 and 2.1 million heads, respectively.

A commercial pig farm in Quoc Oai district, Hanoi. Illustrative photo

Regarding the livestock product market, in the first quarter of 2025, while poultry and egg prices fell sharply in the last days of February, pork prices in February and early March increased and remained high, especially in the Southern region, contrary to the rule compared to previous years.

Specifically, the price of live pigs nationwide in January 2025 increased by about 10-12% compared to the average of the last months of 2024, fluctuating from 66,000 - 69,000 VND/kg depending on the region. In February 2025, the average price fluctuated around 72,000 - 78,000 VND/kg, an increase of 15-18% compared to the beginning of January 2025.

In early March 2025, the price of live pigs continued to increase sharply, especially in some provinces in the South Central region, the price was 79,000 - 82,000 VND/kg and the highest price in Dong Nai province was 83,000 VND/kg. This is the highest price in the past 3 years. However, by mid-March, the price of live pigs showed signs of slowing down and tended to decrease slightly in all three regions.

Currently, the average price of live pigs in the North ranges from 74,000 - 75,000 VND/kg, in the Central region from 75,000 - 80,000 VND/kg, and in the South from 80,000 - 81,000 VND/kg and is forecasted to stay around this price until the end of March 2025.

At the current selling price, it is estimated that farmers are making a profit of 15,000 - 20,000 VND/kg. Compared to the region, the domestic price of live pigs is higher than that of countries in the region such as China, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar... (about 56,000 - 63,000 VND/kg) and lower than the price in the Philippines (100,000 - 115,000 VND/kg).

According to the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, the increase in pig prices is due to the outbreak of several epidemics in the southern provinces in the last months of 2024, causing damage to the sow herd.

Along with that, the Southeast provinces have tightened environmental management, conducted a comprehensive review and planned to relocate large farms and contract farms out of areas where farming is not allowed according to regulations, leading to many commercial farms and contract farms leaving their barns empty or not being put into operation at full capacity, leading to local shortages as they are today.

Another important reason is the positive impact of the results of the review to tighten the import of pigs and pork products. In particular, the determination in the anti-smuggling work of the Environmental Crime Prevention Police Department (C05) maintained since before Tet until now has limited the large amount of livestock, including pigs, smuggled across the border of the southern provinces.

Strengthening herd restoration
Commenting on the pig farming situation, Vice President of the Vietnam Farm Association Nguyen Van Trong shared that Dong Nai, the province with the largest pig farming in the country, has seen a decline in its pig herd. At its peak, Dong Nai had 2.5 million pigs, but recently the province has only had about 800,000 pigs.

High pig prices encourage farmers to rebuild their herds. Illustrative photo

It is worth mentioning that before Tet, many small farms and households sold their pigs en masse with the mentality of taking advantage of the Tet market. However, after Tet, due to environmental regulations, empty pigsty situations occurred.

Although the price of live pigs has decreased slightly, Nguyen Van Trong hopes that the price will continue to decrease to 60,000 - 65,000 VND/kg, which will harmonize between sellers and buyers.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phung Duc Tien said that pork prices account for about 65% and directly affect the consumer price index (CPI). Therefore, restructuring the livestock industry, especially pig farming, requires time, a roadmap and careful, scientific calculation to avoid the "massive" mentality as in the past.

"The high price of live pigs brings profits to farmers and businesses, but at the same time, it also poses the problem of controlling inflation. The Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine needs to guide localities to increase herd restoration but must ensure biosafety, stabilize food supply soon, and ensure harmonious benefits for both farmers and consumers," Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien emphasized.

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/gia-lon-hoi-tang-cao-thuc-day-nguoi-chan-nuoi-tai-dan.html