Chapter 3
Controversy
over animal feed
G. Duteurtre, P. Bonnet, D. Sautier, Hoang Vu Quang, M. Blanchard
© J.-D. Cesaro - CIRAD (2013)
Industrial feed on an intensive farm in Sơn La
Intensification of crop and livestock production
A revolution in two phases
Rice: production (thousands of tons)
and yield (quintals/ha/year) in 2015
The growth in animal production was based on the boom
in crop production. In reforming collectivized agriculture,
Vietnam departed from a system of shortages and became
self-sufficient in rice beginning in 1995. The country even
started to export cereals in 1997. High-yielding varieties were
introduced for rice (1980), sweet potato (1986), maize (1994)
and then cassava (2000).
Today, yields per hectare reach up to 7 tons for rice, 4.5 tons
for maize, 18 tons for cassava and 10 tons for sweet potatoes.
Soybeans are in last place with a yield of under 2 tons per
hectare. In 2013, over 60 million tons of the key annual crops
were produced. Food production is growing at a rate of around
1.6 million tons per year. The rice crop today represents 90% of
the country’s cereal resources.
© J.-D. Cesaro - CIRAD (2013)
Fertilizing a rice field
Evolution of the production of the main agriculture products
since 1961
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Evolution of the production of rice and maize crops
and pig and chicken meat since 1961
“Pre-industrial” animal feed
Harvest and transport of maize to Sơn La
Animal and crop growth evolving together
By comparing the growth of animal and crop production, a
coevolution phenomenon of the crop revolution and the livestock revolution may be observed. Rice production was five
times higher in 2015 than in 1960. The production of chicken
and pork was multiplied by 11 and 12.5 respectively. The increase
in rice production is therefore providing a solid foundation
for developing livestock production, even if it remains insufficient to feed all of the livestock. As for maize, its production is
16 times higher than in 1960.
© J.-D. Cesaro - CIRAD (2014)
At the end of the 1990s, the composition of the average ration for
fattening pigs in the north of Vietnam was based on rice. Rice
bran accounted for 48% of the average national ration. Broken
rice was 33% of the total. In sum, 81% of pig feed came from
rice. Maize (7%), sweet potato (6%) and cassava (6%) made up
the rest. Starting from the 2000s, the proportion of maize in
rations went up to 40% in some regions, but maize was rapidly
replaced by industrial feed. Today, local maize is processed by
feed factories and sold to livestock producers as concentrates.
Testing GM crops before dissemination
Rice is found in the deltas, while maize and cassava are grown in
highland areas. The number of crop cycles and yields are higher
in the plains than in the mountains, and generally are higher in
the south of the country than the north. To make the most of the
opportunity to use agricultural products in animal feed, factories
are located near delta and mountain regions.
In 2014, the Vietnamese government authorized the cultivation
of four varieties of genetically modified (GM) maize resistant
to insects and/or herbicides; two were produced by Monsanto,
and two by Syngenta. The government expects that half of all
farms will cultivate GM crops by 2020. According to official data,
45,000 hectares (4% of the total) were planted in 2015 alone. The
pressure of imports against a backdrop of climate change has led
the government to adopt this new crop strategy.
Maize: Production (thousands of tons)
and yield (quintals/ha/year) in 2015
Cassava: Production (thousands of tons)
and yield (quintals/ha/year) in 2015
The geographic distribution of raw materials
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Surging livestock feed imports
Imports driven by demand
Sharply increasing soybean imports
In 2000, soybean and maize imports amounted to approximately
500,000 tons. These imports reached almost 12 million tons
in 2014 and 13.5 million tons in 2015. The first strong growth
occurred between 2000 and 2003, then between 2004 and 2007,
and then again between 2012 and 2015. This last increase was
particularly impressive in terms of volume but corresponded to
the same rate of growth. Indeed, in each wave of growth, imports
essentially doubled in volume. However, these surges of imports
did not always involve the same products. Between 2000 and 2010,
maize imports accounted for the majority of imports, while after
2010, soybean imports increased sharply.
Since 2008, soybean imports have been growing at a rapid
pace. Between 2012 and 2015, they literally tripled. This development is being driven by the increasing needs of industrial
livestock farms, and particularly poultry farms. This increase
in volume is in fact coupled with a very strong increase in
value. According to the FAO, this development in Vietnam is
greater than in any other Asian country relative to the volumes
imported in the early 2000s. Vietnam’s soybean imports grew
four times faster than China’s. This situation is causing stock
ruptures on an animal feed market which is itself increasing in
overall value by 10% per year.
Evolution of imports of the main agricultural products
used for animal feed since 2000
Comparison of soybean trade balances in Asia
between 2000 and 2011
Asia’s overall impact on global soybean trade
Asia’s increased dependence
on soybeans and maize
Asia is facing a very strong imbalance between the production of
corn and soybean and demand from livestock farms, particularly
in China and Vietnam. This region of the world cannot meet the
rising demand for animal products without importing increasing
amounts of agricultural raw materials for their herds. This question
is crucial to the sustainability of Asian livestock systems.
Sacks of animal feed arriving in Ho Chi Minh City
© Vietnam News (2015)
Estimation of agricultural output (maize, wheat, barley, soybean)
compared to demand from livestock farms in 2000
Global soybean trade has increased from 8 million tons in 1990
to over 65 million tons in 2011. Three quarters of this goes to
Asia, of which East Asia (China, Japan, Korea) alone accounts for
64% of the overall total. For maize, East Asia currently imports
39 million tons, compared to 29 million in 1990. Its dependence
on maize is lower because the region’s own output fills a large
part of its needs. This region nonetheless imports about one third
of world maize flows.
Source: FAO (2006)
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Value of the main agricultural raw material imports in 2015 (over US$400,000)
Sharply increasing values
Imports from the Americas
According to international trade statistics, the value of Vietnamese
imports of the main ingredients for livestock feed is at a record
high. In 2014, imports of maize were valued at US$1.2 billion
while soybean imports exceeded US$873 million. In 2001,
these same imports were just US$3.5 million for maize and
US$28 million for soybeans. Between 2008 and 2015, the increase
in the price of raw materials was 10 times higher than that of
volumes. Faced with this situation, the government decided to
lower taxes on imports.
Brazil, Argentina and the United States together account
for more than 95% of the value of agricultural raw materials
imported for animal feed. For purposes of comparison, in 2015,
Vietnam earned US$2.2 billion from rice exports, while maize
and soybean imports cost the country more than US$2.5 billion.
In value terms, the trade balance for cereals and protein crops
has fallen into a deficit.
Evolution of taxes on imports
In November 2014, the National Assembly adopted law 71/2014/
QH13 concerning taxes on soybean imports. Between 2014 and
2015, these taxes dropped from 2% to 0%. For other raw materials,
they dropped from 10% to 2%. This situation has contributed to
a steep increase of imports, thereby stimulating the volume of
the animal feed industry. At the same time, bountiful soybean
harvests in Brazil and Argentina helped to reduce soybean prices
between 2013 and 2015. In contrast, the price of maize continues
to increase on international markets. Even though volumes are
relatively stable, the bill continues to increase.
The massive industrialization of animal feed
Overall, five companies manage the soybean and maize trade. By
lowering its import duties, Vietnam is seeking to attract industrial investment and increase bulk volumes with the intent of
becoming a regional player in industrial feed production in order
to then re-export within the ASEAN market, or even to China.
Evolution of the value of agricultural raw material imports
(maize/soybean) since 2000
© Vietnam News (2015)
Article from the Vietnam News on tax exemptions for animal feed
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Emerging livestock feed industry
Emergence of animal nutrition agro-industry
Distribution of feed factories and average distance
per district in 2014
Since the 1990s, Vietnam has encouraged foreign investors
to build industrial feed factories. The Thai company Charoen
Pokphand (CP) started operating near Ho Chi Minh City
in 1988. In approximately 20 years, the company created a
network of about one dozen factories. In 1991, Proconco, then
a Franco-Vietnamese company, set up operations in the port of
Biên Hòa, 10 km north of Ho Chi Minh City, and then in the
port of Hải Phòng in the north of the country. In 1995, after
economic agreements between the United States and Vietnam
were signed, the American company Cargill also set up shop in
Biên Hòa. It extended its distribution network into the south
of the country, followed by the north and center. In 2009, the
country had 260 companies specialized in animal feed. The
top 17 companies accounted for 73% of production. Only one
company in the “top 10” was Vietnamese.
© J.-D. Cesaro - CIRAD (2013)
Feed factory on the road between Hải Phòng and Hanoï
A strategic but poorly described sector
The geography of livestock feed factories is poorly described.
Various lists of livestock feed companies can be found on the
internet. Some are detailed but dated, while others are incomplete but more recent. Using the best lists, it was possible to
georeference some of the feed factories. It was difficult to determine the volume produced on each site. A specific study would
be required to provide supplementary information on these
agro-industries.
Industrial feed on a farm in Mai Sơn
Based on the location of the country’s 260 feed factories, it is
possible to estimate the average distance to a feed production
site for each district. The mapping of feed factories renders it
possible to understand the spatial organization of the distribution of different livestock production systems. On the outskirts
of Ho Chi Minh City and in the Red River Delta, there is at
least one feed factory within 10 km. In the center of the country
and along the borders, average distances to reach a feed factory
exceed 100 km. The use of industrial feed in livestock production
is lower in these areas than elsewhere in the country.
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© J.-D. Cesaro - CIRAD (2013)
The spatial spread of industrial feed
Evolution of industrial feed production by type of species since 2000
The growing dependence of livestock systems
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in
2015, Vietnam produced about 13 million tons of agricultural
raw materials for livestock. 5.3 million came from maize crops,
5 million from rice crops. Moreover, there were 500,000 tons
of broken rice and 1 million tons of cassava. However, the
demand was for over 25 million tons of raw material. The
country consequently imported 12 million tons of raw material,
mainly soybeans (5.2 million tons) and maize (2.9 million tons).
Other commodities such as wheat, livestock by-products and
additional components (animal meat and bonemeal, fishmeal)
accounted for almost 1.8 million tons. This highly dynamic
market has already changed considerably. Farms have become
very dependent on industrial feed. Indeed, according to the
USDA, the penetration rate of industrial feed in animal nutrition has increased from 21% in 2001 to 65% in 2015. This
average hides a wide variety of penetration rates under various
livestock farming systems.
Average change in volume of feed processed
on and off livestock farms since 2001
Pig feed, the starting point of industrialization
Until only recently, industrial animal feed was mainly intended
for pig farming. In 2007, about 60% of the volume of feed
produced by agro-industries went to pig farms. In 2015, pig
feed only represented 37% of the total. The volume of pig feed
in effect did not increase much between 2007 and 2015, rising
from 5 to 6 million tons.
Poultry farming well positioned for the future
In contrast, the volume intended for poultry farming increased
from 2 to 6 million tons between 2007 and 2015 and is now
on par with the pork sector. The aquaculture sector also is
growing rapidly but remains in second place in terms of volume.
Estimations by species shows a resumption of growth in the
pork sector after 2015. Even if this recovery takes place, in terms
of volume, the pig sector will be overtaken by poultry by 2020.
Comparison of the market share of the main livestock feed companies
in Vietnam between 2012 and 2016
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Deforestation and animal feed: how are they linked?
Deforestation in Vietnam:
abandoned for half a century
Advertising for hybrid maize seeds in the province of Sơn La
© J.-D. Cesaro - CIRAD (2013)
Vietnam has long been known for its rapid deforestation.
Between 1950 and 2000, the country’s forest cover rate dropped
from 40% to under 10%. Logging and agriculture have been the
two main drivers of this loss of forest cover. Under the Đổi mới
reforms, small farmers could cultivate the land on forest slopes.
In the center, coffee trees have replaced wooded areas, while in
the north, smallholders are growing maize and cassava instead.
The latter two crops, which are used for animal feed, are helping
to reduce reliance on imports, and explain why feed factories are
located near mountain areas. However, these annual crops raise
several environmental questions because they lead to substantial
soil erosion when land is put under cultivation.
Cattle feed and agro-forestry:
is there a potential?
How can one reconcile annual crops cultivated on sloping land
with the protection of resources and soils? Conservation agriculture and landscaping, such as Sloping Agricultural Land
Technology (SALT), seem to be potential ways to address the
multiple needs of production and resource conservation.
However, the government is implementing a new reforestation
policy with a higher level of protection for mountain slopes. In
some districts, hundreds of smallholders lost access to land when
slopes were put under protection. This loss of cereal and tuber
production is compensated in the plains by the introduction of
high-yield GM crops and maize imports, which are less expensive
than the maize produced in the highlands. Grass-fed ruminant
farming is gradually developing with the return of the forest.
Evolution of forest cover by district between 1998 and 2008
© Landsat (Dec. 1995)
Forest cover in Sơn La in December 1995
© Landsat (Dec. 2015)
Forest cover in Sơn La in December 2015
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