Vietnam - Animal husbandry

The most important aspect of animal husbandry in the SRV remains the raising of draft animals, mainly water buffalo. Lack of feed, shelter, and technical guidance and an inability to control disease combine with the legacy of war damage to hinder the growth of this sector. Increasing the livestock is now a major priority of the Hanoi regime. The sizes of herds in 2001 (with 1975 figures in parentheses) was as follows: hogs, 21,740,000 (8,800,700); buffalo, 2,807,000 (2,193,000); and cattle 3,900,000 (1,485,000). Vietnam also had an estimated 561,000 goats, 121,000 horses, 153 million chickens, and 57 million ducks in 2001. Meat production totaled 2,004,000 tons in 2001, with pork accounting for 70%; poultry, 19%; buffalo and other meat, 11%.