Vietnam : Grand opening of Pork production & processing complex DHS

The 21-hectare pork processing complex uses an automated slaughtering line from South Korea with a designed capacity of 300 pigs per hour, according to Director of Biển Đông DHS Vũ Trọng Nghĩa. The complex has a total investment of about VNĐ300 billion (nearly US$12.8 million).

Pigs will be purchased from farms within supply chains in Nam Định and neighbouring provinces which must satisfy Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices (VietGAP) based on four standards in production techniques, food safety, work environment, and origin traceability.

Agriculture is Nam Định’s key industry with a strong development of animal husbandry, said Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Phạm Đình Nghi. Local farms raise a total of about 800,000 pigs which produce more than 150,000 tonnes of pork per year, accounting for over 81 per cent of the province’s meat output, he added.

The province houses around 300 large-scale animal farms and thousands of household farms, many of which have been verified to meet VietGAP standards and recognised as free of foot-and-mouth disease and African Swine Fever (ASF), Nghi said.

However, the province still lacks large-scale slaughterhouses, he noted, adding that the launch of the Biển Đông DHS pork processing plant marks a new milestone in the development of local agriculture.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Netherlands Ambassador Elsbeth Akkerman had emphasized the Dutch experiences in creating disease-free zones besides the institutional set up for high quality products and food safety management, opening up export possibilities.

According to Mr Gabor Fluit, General Director of De Heus (DHS) in Asia, the plant’s main products include frozen pork and heat-treated pork products. If the international required standards are met, these products can be distributed domestically and exported to foreign markets like Japan, South Korea, China and Malaysia.