African Swine Fever (ASF) is threatening Vietnam's pork market.
According to recent local media in Vietnam, VietnamBiz, the price of live pigs exceeded 78,000 VND per kg in April, marking the highest price in over two years, but the downward trend that began in June has recently accelerated, dropping to around 60,000 VND per kg as of the 20th of last month. Prices in the northern region have fallen to the mid-50,000 VND range.
The rapid decline in pork prices is primarily attributed to ASF. The outbreak of ASF increased explosively in late July, surging from 514 cases in mid-July to 972 cases by early August. As ASF spread almost nationwide, pig farmers rushed to sell their pigs to the market, causing a surge in supply. The disease is spreading mainly among small-scale farms, and infected pigs are being circulated in the market while carcasses are not being properly disposed of, making disease control difficult.
Local experts emphasize that the key to stabilizing pork prices is to prevent the spread of ASF and stabilize the disease situation.