Pig farmers hurt by illegal imports

Cambodian pig farmers are facing a mounting crisis as the price of pigs has continued to plummet due to illegal imports from Vietnam, representatives from a farmer association said yesterday. According to Chet Phirum, deputy director of the Cambodia Livestock Raisers Association, the association has around 4,000 registered pig farmers, but more than half its members have had to suspend operations due to inability to cover costs of operations as prices have fallen below the breakeven point. While the Ministry of Agriculture officially permits 1,250 pigs to be imported from Vietnam every day to meet local demand, representatives of pig farmers argued that the government was allowing as many as 2,000 to enter per day. Meanwhile, illegal smuggling of pigs across the border, which is unable to quantified, has contributed to an even more saturated market. Srun Peu, director of the Cambodian Livestock Raiser Association, called for the government to intervene quickly in order to revitalize the local pork industry. (Source: Phnom Penh Post)