Tons of chicken imported at prices of less than US$1 per kg

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The recent average price of imported chicken has been around US$1 per kg. Photo: Internet

According to the department of livestock production, the volume of imported chicken from since 2016 has totaled 122,000 tons (worth more than US$87.8 million); more than 85,800 tons (worth US$80.2 million) in 2017; more than 128,000 tons (worth more than US$116.3 million) and 105,700 tons (worth more than US$96.5 million) in the first nine months of this year.

Of the total of more than 105,700 tons of imported chicken in the first nine months of this year, only 60 percent was made up of thighs, equivalent to 63,479 tons; whole chicken (Korean chicken) accounted for 13.3 percent, equivalent to 14,071 tons; the rest was wing, foot, gizzard, liver, skin, bone, cartilage and tail. The average price for these products was US$0.913 per kg (in previous years, it also ranged from US$0.85- 1 per kg).

It is expected that in 2019, the volume of imported chicken meat will be about 150,000 tons. The department of livestock production said that thigh meat is competitive with about 90,000 tons, accounting for 10.37 percent compared to poultry meat, 13.53 percent compared to chicken meat and 30.41 percent compared to industrial chicken meat.

While the volume of imported meat increasing in the domestic market, the price of industrial chicken meat decreased significantly. In the middle of September, the price of white-feathered chicken meat was only about VND12,000-13,000 per kg. Meanwhile, the price of colored-feathered chicken was around VND30,000 per kg. Chicken farmers have suffered heavy losses.

By the beginning of October, the price of white-feathered chicken increased slightly to about VND23,000 per kg and colored-feathered chicken was about VND31,000-32,000 per kg.

Talking to Customs newspaper, Nguyen Van Ngoc, Vice Chairman of Southeastern Poultry Association, said that: “At the above price, farmers of colored-feathered chicken had small profit, but those who raise white-feathered breeds continued to suffer losses because the price of white-feathered chickens must reach at least VND25,000 per kg or more before farmers start to make profits.”

Ngoc stated that such a low price of domestic chicken was due to the increase in domestic chicken supply when farmers gave up pig production to raise chickens, after the African swine fever epidemic happened in many localities; and the massive import of chicken to Vietnam.

Regarding this view, the department of livestock production officially rejected the opinion that increases in imported chicken reduced domestic chicken prices. According to the department, with the expected import data mentioned above, the volume of imported chicken meat does not affect the market share and price of chicken meat in the domestic market.

The imports have increased but not significantly. The increase in chicken imports is due in part to African swine fever, reducing pork output.

From the perspective of business in agricultural products and with a good understanding of the poultry industry, sharing the view with the Customs Newspaper on the issue of importing chickens, especially chickens from the US, Nguyen Dang Cuong, Director of Lucavi Co., Ltd said that Vietnamese do not eat a lot of industrial chicken meat. Imported chicken meat is mainly used for food processing.

The high increase in imports may have a certain impact on the domestic industrial chicken output of large enterprises such as CP and Dabaco. However, small chicken producers and farmers to serve the Vietnamese demand will not be affected.

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"The most important thing in imported chicken from the US is food hygiene and disease safety," Cuong said.