Unofficial pig exports sky-rocket to China

It is estimated recently that 40 – 50 trucks of pigs have made its way to a place near the Mong Cai Border Gate everyday, eventually ending up in China.

 

Pigs from other places
“It appears that pigs are not only bought from northern provinces, but also from the south, including HCM City, Binh Duong and Dong Thap provinces,” Nguyen Minh Cuong head of the Mong Cai Animal Quarantine Station said. Borders have been crossed by truck owners as well as pig traders who have discovered ways of taking pigs across the border. The prevention of this has proven difficult, Nguyen Minh Cuong further added.

 

Role reversal
The current situation is the complete opposite what had previously happened in the past years – the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) experts stated that previous years saw a major influx of pork and live pigs from China into Viet Nam in the later months of the year.

 

Consequences of the exports
Some parties are concerned that the rise in the unofficial exports will cause a shortage of pork in the domestic market for the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) festival, others have said it is a good opportunity for breeders to earn higher profits.

 

An increase of checks on import and export of meat products will be set in place, said the ministry.