Vietnam’s pork imports surge 300 percent

Vietnam had imported more than 46,400 tons of pork and related products in the year to April 13, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The biggest overseas sources were Canada, Poland, Brazil, the U.S. and Spain.

A study of some shops and supermarkets in Hanoi showed imported pork products were cheaper than meat sold in wet markets.

At a shop in downtown Hanoi that exclusively sells imported food, Russian pork costs VND130,000 ($5.5) per kilogram, while Canadian ribs start from VND115,000 ($4.9) per kilogram.

At some supermarkets, thigh and pork belly prices range from VND140,000 to 150,000 per kilogram, while pork ribs are about VND120,000 per kilogram. At Big C, a major supermarket chain in Vietnam, imported pork costs 20-40 percent cheaper than domestic pork.

788 enterprises from 19 countries have been allowed to export pork to Vietnam. The U.S. has the biggest share, with 141 businesses, followed by Spain with 139 and Italy with 120. Since the beginning of 2020, 108 enterprises in Vietnam have imported pork.

Imports of buffalo meat, beef and poultry have also increased sharply.

Vietnam had imported more than 37,100 tons of beef and buffalo meat in the year to April 13, a year-on-year increase of about 200 percent and 135 percent respectively. Vietnam imports beef mainly from Australia, the U.S., Russia and Canada, while buffalo meat is bought mostly from India.

Poultry meat imports of 78,400 tons by April 13 marked a year-on-year increase of 150 percent, with the main source markets being the U.S. (over 65 percent), South Korea (14 percent) and Brazil (10 percent).

Vietnam is also importing pigs for breeding purposes from the U.S, Canada and Taiwan. In the first three months of this year, 1,808 pigs were imported for livestock farming by four enterprises in Vietnam.