Vietnam spent nearly US$1.8 billion on meat and meat by-product imports in 2024, up18.1% from 2023

Data from the General Department of Vietnam Customs show that in 2024, Vietnam imported 876,000 tonnes of meat and meat products worth a total of US$1.78 billion, up 15.2% in volume and 18.1% in value from 2023.

India was the largest meat supplier to Vietnam, accounting for 22.14% of the country’s total meat and meat product imports. Vietnam imported 194,060 tonnes of meat worth US$645 million from India, up 9.9% in volume and 23% in value from 2023.

Meat and meat product imports from several markets continued to grow in both volume and value in 2024 compared to 2023, including the US, Poland, the Republic of Korea (RoK), the Netherlands, Hong Kong (China), Iran, Italy, Japan, Turkey, and Belgium. However, imports from major suppliers, such as Russia, Brazil, and Spain declined.

In 2024, Vietnam imported various types of meat, including fresh chilled and frozen poultry meat and edible offal, frozen buffalo meat and beef, among others.

Most meat imports increased, except for fresh chilled pork, which saw a decline in both volume and value compared to 2023.

Vietnam’s fresh chilled and frozen pork imports in 2024 amounted to 109,000 tonnes, valued at US$257.3 million, down 8.9% in volume and 12.2% in value compared to 2023. The average import price for chilled or frozen pork was US$2,338 per tonne, down 3.7% from 2023.

Vietnam imported pork from around 43 foreign markets. Brazil was the largest supplier, accounting for 39.95% of the total pork imports, followed by Russia (30.33%), Canada (6.35%), Germany (6.04%), the Netherlands (3.89%), and other markets (13.45%).

Meanwhile, the country exported 24,500 tonnes of meat and meat products worth US$117 million, up 8% in volume and 6.1% in value from 2023.

The country’s foreign trade in meat and meat products totaled nearly US$1.9 billion in 2024, with a trade deficit of US$1.66 billion.

In 2024, Vietnam exported 12,300 tonnes of meat and meat products worth US$69.73 million, up 27.6% in volume and 16.1% in value from 2023, to 37 markets. Hong Kong (China) remained the largest importer of Vietnamese meat products, accounting for 50.65% and 59.59% of the country’s total meat product export volume and value.

Meat and meat product exports to some markets, such as Belgium, France, Laos, and Singapore, experienced good growth in both volume and value compared to 2023. However, exports to several major markets, including China, the US, Canada, the Netherlands, and the RoK, declined.

The main types of exported meat included fresh chilled and frozen pork, accounting for 39.15% of the total volume and 50.32% of the total value; fresh chilled and frozen poultry meat and edible offal, 28.91% and 25.76%; other meats and edible offal from other animals, fresh chilled and frozen, 28.95% and 21.99%./.