Due to the outbreak of African swine fever, the demand for maize from the Vietnamese pig sector has fallen sharply. However, the increase in the consumption of poultry meat is somewhat mitigating the consequences for the feed industry.
Vietnam has long been the largest importer of corn in Southeast Asia and imported more than 2018 million tons of corn in 10,1. Most of this corn is used as an ingredient in pig feed. However, until mid-August the country imported 'only' 5,73 million tons of corn, compared to 5,76 million tons last year. The outbreak of African swine fever is the main cause of this decline.
"In addition, the production of pig feed has already decreased by 20% to 30% as a result of the virus," claims Mariano Berdegue, managing director Feed & Nutrition at Cargill in Thailand and Vietnam. The figures also show that the demand for feed from pig farming has decreased by 20% to 25%. Oscar Tjakra, analyst at Rabobank in Asia, estimates that corn consumption in Vietnamese livestock farming this year will ultimately be 10% more than last year.
Demand for poultry saves sector
The animal feed industry in Vietnam is being somewhat saved by the increased demand for poultry meat. This means that the demand for feed for broilers, laying hens and ducks has increased. "A lot of corn is also processed in these products, which partly compensates for the loss from the pig sector." Berdegue also reports that it is difficult to predict whether this shift (from pork to poultry meat) will be reversed in the long term.