According to a Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) official, pork supplies will meet high year-end demand around the holidays and the New Year.

Nguyen Xuan Duong, director of MARD’s Department of Livestock Production, said current production trends mean supply will be sufficient to satisfy the domestic market. Pork prices will be stable between VND51,000-53,000 (US$2.19-2.27) per kilo by the end of the year, meaning farmers will still profit.

According to Duong, third-quarter production was 2.8 per cent higher this year than in the same period last year. Production is expected to continue increasing in the fourth quarter as a result of higher pork prices, which have been rising since April.

Supply has been increasing since July.

According to the Department of Agro-product Processing and Market Development, the price of live pigs has increased. The price is VND2,000-3,000 per kilo higher than it was last month, reaching VND52,000-55,000 in the Northern region.

The price of live pigs in the Central and Central Highlands regions is VND47,000-55,000 per kilo. Thanh Hoa Province has seen the largest price jump, rising VND4,000 per kilo over the last month to VND52,000-53,000.

These prices are expected to increase slightly by the end of the year because of increasing demand. Measures must be taken to protect Viet Nam from American swine flu, including disease detection and careful handling of imported pork and live pigs. — VNS