Vietnam has been suffering from a pork shortage and thus, pork price hike, as the aftermath of the African swine fever outbreak continues to affect farmers.
Back in July, a report by Ip Business Consulting predicted that the pork shortage caused by African swine fever would last until February 2020, while the shortage would account for 20% of the total demand for pork in the country. In light of this news, instead of having fresh pork delivered to their house in the days before Tet, many bánh chưng makers have already begun buying pork in massive quantities to avoid a shortage during the holiday, VietnamNet reports.
Le Thi Hoa, who owns a bánh chưng production facility in Hanoi, shares that she has been stocking pork since September to fulfill orders and avoid a potential price surge near Tet. Nguyen Thi Xuan, another bánh chưng maker in the capital, told the news source that she had to source her pork early to freeze and store it to avoid holiday price increase. These sellers have also increased their bánh chưng prices by VND5,000–10,000.
The government is also making an effort to alleviate the effects of high prices and pork shortages during Tet. On December 19, Saigon's Industry and Trade Department suggested that local the administration should import more frozen pork and pork from neighboring countries, and that businesses should switch to frozen pork for their products for this year's holidays.
It looks like thịt kho tàu made with fresh pork will be a luxury this year for some Vietnamese families.
[Photo via Flickr user Cathy Danh]
