The central highlands is considered to hold many advantages in developing raw material areas for animal feed production but there remains a lack of policies to promote the industry.

Vietnam is an agricultural country but still has to spend billions of dollars on importing raw materials for animal feed production.

It outlaid $9.07 billion on importing nearly 22.3 million tons of raw materials for animal feed production in 2021, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The cost of animal feed accounts for about 70 per cent of the cost of raising livestock.

“This dependence will continue for a long time if we do not adopt comprehensive strategies and secure the cooperation and engagement of those involved, including local authorities, businesses, supporting organizations, scientists, and producers,” Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien told a conference in Hanoi on January 5 to assess the potential for developing raw materials for animal feed production in the central highlands.

Thai Hong Lam, a senior business consultant with Agriterra, which supports agricultural development around the globe, said it has carried out studies on maize and cassava production in the central highlands. Surveyed localities have large production areas and appropriate climate and land conditions for growing maize and cassava, especially in Gia Lai and Dak Lak provinces.

Maize output in the region is quite high compared to elsewhere around the country, at 5.99 tons per hectare in 2021.

The price of maize and cassava are also lower than imported equivalents, ranging from VND5,500-8,000 ($0.23-0.33) per kilo of maize and VND4,400-5,500 ($0.18-0.23) per kilo of cassava.

However, there is still a lack of government support in the field, and the application of technology in cultivation, preservation, and processing remains limited.

Participants at the conference proposed that the government adopt supportive measures to help further develop raw materials for animal feed production, to ease the country’s dependence on imports.