HANOI, June 7 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam is expected to import more pork in the coming months to make up for potential domestic shortages as African swine fever (ASF) continues to spread, according to the country's Ministry of Industry and Trade.
The ministry said the domestic pork supply is limited as a large number of pigs have been culled due to the disease, and pork is being sold at unusually low prices because of lower demand, local daily newspaper Vietnam News quoted the ministry's Center for Industry and Trade Information as reporting on Friday.
As of Tuesday, ASF had stricken 53 cities and provinces, with the latest affected localities being southern Tra Vinh province and central Da Nang city, leading to the culling of nearly 2.2 million pigs nationwide, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Some provinces that had eliminated the disease saw outbreaks return and the disease could spread to large-scale breeding farms.
According to Rabobank, a global leader in food and agriculture financing and sustainability-oriented banking, Vietnam's pork output in 2019 would drop by at least 10 percent.
In its latest report entitled "Pork Quarterly Q2 2019," the bank said the drop in pork production will result in a 7-percent decline in per capita consumption, adding that Vietnam's imports are expected to rise this year to compensate for the potential pork shortages later this year.
ASF is a severe viral disease affecting domestic pigs and boars which can be spread by live or dead pigs and pork products, the World Organization for Animal Health said, noting that the ASF virus is harmless to human, but causes hemorrhagic fever in pigs and wild boars that is almost fatal.
