Local meat faces tough competition from imports

HCM City (VNA) - Domestic brands of meat are encountering fierce competition from imported meat, which is selling at lower costs, officials said.

During the first half of the year, Vietnam imported 64,000 tonnes of
chicken or 10,000 tonnes monthly, from Brazil , the US and Mexiso,
Nguyen Thanh Son, deputy head of the Livestock Breeding Department, said.
The figure equals the monthly production of southern provinces, Son
said.

Domestic livestock breeders are suffering a loss of 3,000-5,000 VND per kg
of chicken and 1 million VND (63 USD) per pig, Son said.

At big supermarkets in HCM City like Big C and Metro, pieces of
imported chicken are 5,000-10,000 VND lower than that of domestic brands.

However, some importers have tried to get rid of meat near the expiration
date by exporting to Vietnam , according to Bui Quang Anh, head of the
Animal Health Department (AHD), adding that Vietnam does not have
official regulations or standards for imported meat.

Consumers should be careful about the quality of this meat, as it is not
guaranteed by domestic agencies, said Son.

To reach the target of 6 percent growth rate in animal husbandry this year,
besides staving off epidemics, Son proposed that AHD quickly build up
official standards for imported meat to avoid an excessive number of imports
and protect domestic livestock breeders.

Standards on preservation time, for example, must be defined and agreements
on export conditions with foreign partners must be made, he added.

"For example, if we import wings and legs of chicken, they will have to buy
our chicken breasts in return," he said.-Enditem