HCMC – Animal feed prices show no signs of declining, putting livestock farmers on tenterhooks.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development plans to send the Government a draft decree on production support policy aimed at ensuring at least 50% of animal feed material will be locally sourced.
The draft decree stipulates support for manufacturing, processing, preserving and consuming local material while developing corn and soybean growing areas, reducing the reliance on animal feed imports.
Cooperative groups and cooperatives would get aid representing a maximum of 50% of the total cost for infrastructure in material cultivation areas or 50% of the cost for new breeding stock purchases.
Those enterprises researching and developing animal feed would also receive 50% cost support with a maximum of two billion Vietnam dong for each project.
The draft decree will be submitted to the Government for its consideration and approval within this year.
This year the local animal feed price has soared 17 times. In September alone, imports of animal feed and materials in Vietnam reached nearly US$4.07 billion, an increase of 8.6% over the year-ago period.
Manufacturing costs increased, but the selling price remained unchanged, or even dropped, causing losses for many livestock farmers.
Animal feed makes up 65-70% of farming costs. However, input material for the manufacturing system is not plentiful. Up to 65% of material for animal feed was imported last year.
