Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Vietnam is expected to importmore pork in the coming months to make up for domestic shortages asAfrican swine fever continues to spread, according to the Ministry ofIndustry and Trade (MoIT).

The MoIT’s Centre for Industry and Trade Information saidpork is being sold at unusually low prices because of lower demand.

Pork prices dropped to between 25,000 VND (1.07 USD)and 34,000 VND (1.46 USD) per kilo in the north, down 3,000-6,000 VND fromthe previous month. Prices in the south were 35,000 VND (1.5 USD) per kilo,down 5,000-10,000 VND.

The ministry said pork supply has been limited as some 1.5million pigs were culled in the first four months of the year, accounting for 5percent of the country's pigs.

African swine fever has been detected in 53 cities andprovinces. The epidemic was expected to continue spreading to other localities.Some provinces that had eliminated the disease saw outbreaksreturn and the disease could still spread to large-scalebreeding farms.

According to Rabobank, a global leader in food andagriculture financing and sustainability-oriented banking, Vietnam’s pigbreeding industry has been under increasing pressure due to the disease.

In its report in the second quarter of the year, Rabobanksaid Vietnam's pork meat output in 2019 would be reduced by at least 10percent.

Despite the Government’s efforts to control thedisease, new cases have still been discovered. Rabobank said falling productionwould reduce the per capita pork consumption of Vietnamese people by up to 7percent.

The MoIT has asked provincial industry and tradedepartments nationwide to closely monitor the disease and report back onthe processing and storage of safe pork.

HCM City has encouraged businesses to buy healthy pigs andstockpile frozen pork to prepare for potential shortages.

According to the municipal Department of Agriculture andRural Development, the disease is not present in the city but has been detectedin many other southern localities. HCM City is a major market for pork, meaningit could be seriously affected if the disease arrives.

The municipal People’s Committee has been working withwholesale meat providers such as CP, Vissan, San Ha and Ba Huan to preparelarge amounts of safe pork to ensure the city's demand – 147 tonnesof pork per day – can be met.

Pham Thanh Kien, Director of the municipal Department ofIndustry and Trade, said the city has so far ensured adequate pork supply.However, it still encourages businesses to stockpile meat.-VNS/VNA