HCM City authorities have developed plans to ensure pork supply for city residents after swine fever was detected in pigs in the northern city of Hai Phong in late February.

Huynh Phuong Trang, deputy director of the HCM City Department of Trade and Industry, said the department was working with major pork suppliers in the city to ensure supply of clean pork to city residents in case swine fever affects the southern region.

Pork sales at Vissan shops have slightly increased, said Nguyen Ngoc An, CEO of Vissan (Vietnam Joint Stock Company), one of the nationally recognised food manufacturers in processing and trading of fresh meat, processed foods and meat-related products in the country.

In addition to Vissan, other pig producers and pork processors in HCM City, such as C.P. and Sagri Agriculture Incorp, have also announced plans to cope with African swine fever.

Trang said live pigs were selling for VND51,000 – VND51,500 per kg, a drop of VN3,000 to VND4,000 after Tet.

Pham Khanh Phong Lan, head of the HCM City Food Safety Management said that even though African swine fever cannot spread to humans, customers should buy pork at licensed butcher’s stores, convenience shops and supermarts as unregistered pork could spread disease.

According to the HCM City Department of Trade and Industry, between 15 and 26 slaughterhouses in March have received nearly 1,500 pigs from the northern provinces of Tuyen Quang, Thai Nguyen, Vinh Phuc, Nghe An and Ha Noi. These localities had never sold live pigs to HCM City.

In addition, live pigs were also sold to the southern provinces of Long An and Vinh Long before being slaughtered and sold to HCM City.

At an online meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Monday, Tran Vinh Tuyen, deputy chairman of HCM City People’s Committee, asked the central Government to strengthen pig disease control during the transportation of pigs from the north to the south.

The HCM City authority has also proposed suspension of unlicensed pig trading stores, improvement of quarantine stations, and better management of the disinfection of pigs transported on the highway to prevent the spread of disease.— VNS