Domestic chicken producers are now facing price pressure from imported meat which is selling at a much lower price, leading to domestic players selling at a loss below production costs.
Le Van Quyet, Vice Chairman of the Southeast Poultry Association said that the prices of chickens farmed at industrial scales have now been sold at Dong 19,000 (US$0.80) per kg, versus its higher production costs of Dong 31,000 – Dong 32,000 (US$1.32- US$1.36) per kg.
Quyet called on the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) to curb the import of chicken meat by assessing quality and expiry dates.
Last year, Vietnam imported 178,000 tons of chicken meat worth US$237 million, despite oversupply in the domestic market. Meanwhile, the country exported 1,000 tons of chicken meat worth US$2.2 million.
