Viet Nam officially exports vaccines for African swine fever to five nations

The signing ceremony took place in Ha Long city of the northern province of Quang Ninh on October 22.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien said, Viet Nam's livestock sector has experienced annual growth rate of 4.5 percent over the recent decade, and the sector accounts for 26.7 percent of the total value of the agricultural sector. 

The pig farming industry and the livestock sector as a whole play a crucial role in promoting the growth of Viet Nam's agricultural sector. Reportedly, Viet Nam currently has total of approximately 28 million pigs.

When the African Swine Fever outbreak occurred in 2019, Viet Nam suffered an estimated loss of at least 6 million pigs, he noted, adding that disease prevention is a vital aspect as well as the foremost solution for livestock development.

Viet Nam has become the first country to successfully develop and produce two vaccines against ASF, a disease that first appeared in Africa in 1921 with a mortality rate of up to 100 percent. 

Earlier, the Philippines imported 300,000 doses of the vaccine from Viet Nam./.