Viet Nam expands cattle breeding as poultry substitute

HA NOI - Viet Nam's cattle breeding sector is sharply developing as avian influenza ravages the poultry industry, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

The country's cattle herds have reached 4.9 million head, up 4.1 percent over the last year. The number of buffalo also increased to 2.8 million. The breeding of goats and sheep is seeing the highest jump, over 20 percent, with about 1 million head.

Pasture acreage was also enlarged to 20,000 ha, double the figure of last year.

Pig farms have been developed in the northern provinces of Ha Tay, Thai Binh, Hung Yen, Hai Duong, Nam Dinh and Hai Phong, and central Thanh Hoa province. Each farm averages about 200-500 hogs and 100-150 sows of foreign stock. A breeding cooperative model using hi-tech and veterinary- check- in husbandry was formed in these provinces and has shown efficiency.

The MARD said that the prolonged presence of bird flu has led the husbandry sector to concentrate on cattle breeding in areas where pasture and feed processing industries are available with buffalo and goats well-suited to mountainous areas and pigs to delta areas.

Source: VNA

3 December 2005