Bình Dương and Đồng Nai Provinces are refilling their pig farms, which were hit by African Swine Flu last year. The number of pigs is expected to reach 3.8 million tonnes by year-end. – VNA/VNS Photo Công Phong

ĐỒNG NAI — The number of pigs in Bình Dương and Đồng Nai provinces is expected to increase in the third and fourth quarters, following the African Swine Flu (ASF) epidemic at pig farms last year.

As of the end of April, Đồng Nai Province, the country's largest pig producer, has over 2 million pigs, a 19 per cent decrease year-on-year.

More than 53 per cent of the pigs are from foreign businesses and 43 per cent from individual farms and households, while the rest are from domestic businesses.

Meanwhile, Bình Dương Province has more than 785,000 pigs as of the first quarter, a 1.89 per cent drop year-on-year. The province has helped animal husbandry develop in recent months to make up for the shortage of pork caused by ASF.

Phùng Đức Tiến, deputy minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the number of farmed pigs was lower than in 2018.

The two provinces are refilling their farms at a fast rate.

According to the ministry and the General Department of Statistics, the country's pork output will not reach the 2018 level of 3.8 million tonnes, the highest amount ever achieved, until the third or fourth quarter of the year.

Tiến also said that more people are buying imported pork due to high quality sources and careful monitoring, and that pork imports help regulate supply and demand and ensure that the Consumer Price Index is not negatively impacted. — VNS