In the context of complicated weather, climate, and diseases in livestock and poultry and the increasing demand for food hygiene and safety in the market, innovating livestock farming methods and organizing linkages along the value chain is one of the solutions that the agricultural sector and livestock farmers in our province are aiming for. This is considered a stable and long-term solution to increase value and develop sustainable livestock farming.

Truong Xuan chicken farm (Tho Xuan) cooperates with businesses to purchase products.

In recent years, livestock farming has been shifting in a positive direction, such as: Reducing the number of small-scale livestock households to concentrated livestock farming according to the model of enterprises, farms, and family farms with industrial and semi-industrial forms; forming disease-free livestock farms, farms that meet VietGAP good livestock practice standards, and organic livestock farming... However, facing difficulties due to epidemics, high prices of animal feed, unstable prices of live pigs, eggs, and poultry products,... the agricultural sector has recommended that livestock households invest in developing large-scale farms, access science and technology, and sign contracts with livestock businesses according to the value chain. Currently, there are two methods of chain livestock farming, which are: closed value chain livestock farming and chain livestock farming linked to production and consumption of products, many organizations and individuals join together to raise and consume livestock products under contracts. Both of these chain farming methods help participants share benefits and responsibilities with each other, farmers limit disease risks, have stable consumption markets, ensure food safety and achieve high economic efficiency.

Mr. Trinh To Xuan, a poultry farmer in Truong Xuan commune (Tho Xuan), said: "When facing difficulties due to free consumption through traders, I learned and linked up with businesses to produce and consume commercial chickens. By joining the link, I was provided with medicine by the business, given technical guidance on care and disease prevention, and the company would purchase finished chickens when they met the requirements. In addition, the link to raise poultry in the form of processing allows businesses to manage the quality of feed sources and breeds, ensuring technical processes in raising chickens, thus limiting diseases; especially, farmers are less affected by the consumer market. With a total herd of about 6,000 chickens/batch, I am signing a product consumption contract with Japfa Comfeed Vietnam Co., Ltd."

Currently, livestock linkage chains have been formed for livestock such as poultry, pigs, buffaloes, and cows, such as: Chicken farming linkage chain associated with processing and consumption in Yen Dinh, Tho Xuan, Trieu Son, Nong Cong districts... with Japfa Vietnam Group, CP Vietnam Livestock Joint Stock Company, Phu Gia Agricultural Products Joint Stock Company...; The lean pig farming chain is mostly in districts with favorable land conditions, synchronous infrastructure, disease control associated with environmental protection and a stable consumption market, such as: Nga Son, Trieu Son, Ha Trung, Nghi Son town, ... and focuses on development in mountainous districts such as Thach Thanh, Ba Thuoc, Lang Chanh ... The buffalo and cow farming chain is still limited with 2 large enterprises investing in dairy farming associated with the milk processing factory of Vietnam Dairy Products Joint Stock Company Vinamilk and TH Group ... Along with that, small and medium enterprises in the province also participate quite actively in developing poultry farming according to the production and consumption chain, such as: The industrial chicken egg production and supply chain of Phuc Vinh Clean Food Company Limited, Happy Farm Vietnam Agricultural Services Joint Stock Company deploys a production and consumption chain, processing with 50 free-range chicken farms ...

It can be affirmed that the operating linkage chains have contributed to limiting risks for livestock farmers in the face of complicated livestock and poultry disease developments, unstable consumption markets, and fluctuating prices... Thanh Hoa's agricultural sector has set a target that by 2025, 50% of the total poultry herd will be linked by corporations and enterprises for production, processing and consumption according to the value chain. Therefore, Thanh Hoa province has been creating conditions for large enterprises and corporations to build factories, sign contracts with farms and livestock households to develop linkage chains, take on the role of organizing production, providing scientific and technical advances and consumption markets... In addition, localities need to build clusters and concentrated livestock farms; guide people to implement disease-safe livestock farming measures; create favorable conditions to attract businesses to invest in livestock development. On the other hand, farmers also need to proactively invest in infrastructure and modern machinery, improve efficiency, comply with the conditions of signing contracts with the company, and do a good job of ensuring hygiene in livestock farming.

Article and photos: Le Ngoc