More than 250 booths highlighting various new products, technology,equipment and services in livestock production are on display atVietnam’s Premier International Feed, Livestock and Meat Industry Expo(Vietstock 2014) that opened in Ho Chi Minh City on October 15.

Focusing on the restructuring of the animal husbandry sector with aview to enhancing added value and promoting sustainable development, thethree-day event drew the participation of many big brand names fromvarious countries, including the Czech Republic, Denmark, the UK and theNetherlands.

Opening the event, Hoang Thanh Van,Head of the Livestock Husbandry Department under the Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Development, said the expo provided a goodopportunity for domestic and foreign businesses to share experience anddiscover new technology in animal husbandry.

Meanwhile, Vietstock 2014 also acts as a platform for investors to findinvestment opportunities in Vietnam’s breeding sector, he said.

Within the framework of the event, a conference will be held todiscuss major issues faced by the sector, such as quality and foodsafety management, as well the opportunities and challenges forVietnam’s meat processing industry.

Participants inthe conference are expected to propose measures for dealing with keychallenges, including animal diseases and increasing productivity.

According to the department, in recent years Vietnam ’s animalhusbandry sector developed rapidly with a larger production scale andbetter quality.

Statistics from the department showthat the sector’s annual average growth reached 6-7 percent in the lastten years, with 4.33 million tonnes of meat produced in 2013, more thandouble that of 2000 at 1.83 million tonnes.-VNA