Cheap imported meats flood market

By Thi Ha July 15, 2024 | 01:53 am PT

Consumers buying pork at a market in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran

Some 304,850 tons of meat and meat products were imported in the first five months of 2024, up 29% year-on-year, at an average price of VND46,000 (US$1.8) per kilogram.

They shot up in May to 76,120 tons worth $140 million, up 32.1% from a year ago in volume and 28.6% in value, according to data from the Agency of Foreign Trade.

India, the U.S., Russia, Poland, and Brazil are Vietnam’s top suppliers.

In HCMC, imported frozen pork is 30-40% cheaper than local products.

Thanh Hoa, owner of a meat import business in the city’s Tan Binh District, said prices of Vietnamese pork are rising.

Frozen meat imported into Vietnam. Photo courtesy of an imported meat store

The Animal Husbandry Association of Vietnam warned that cheap imports could pose unhealthy competition to domestic products and affect consumers’ health if they are of low quality.

It called on authorities to tighten control over meat imports to protect both consumers’ health and the local industry.