Pork prices in Vietnam have begun to rise again over the past week amid news that African swine fever has now spread to 12 countries around the world, which forced the government to ban pork imports from Hungary and Poland. The prices for a kilogram of pork have risen by VND1,000-2,000 in several northern provinces – Photo: NDO The ban will be effective from September 20 and will remain in place until the two European countries are declared free from the outbreak. In several northern provinces, the prices for a kilogram of pork have risen by VND1,000-2,000. According to a pork seller in Hai Duong, pork prices already peaked at VND56,000-57,000 a kilogram a month ago, which was partly attributed to farmers who refrained from raising a large number of pigs for fears of a slump in prices. An increase in pork prices last month made the group of food and restaurant services in the CPI basket record the largest gain at 0.87 pct. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the temporary ban on pork imports from Europe will affect prices as there is a limited domestic supply but it should not be a cause for concern for consumers, noting that the fall in pork supplies was negligible. Specifically, pork output dropped 1.2 pct in the first quarter of 2018 but recovered by 0.4 pct in the second quarter and is expected to rise by between 1.5 pct and 2 pct in the third quarter. Theo NDO
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