Xuan Thien Group looking to invest in pig farming complex

A bold and innovative idea

Thanh Hoa province is renowned as a major value-added center for the agricultural sector in the North Central region and Vietnam as a whole.

The province has recently strengthened investment promotion efforts; and attracted numerous large-scale livestock production projects featuring high-tech orientation.

Notably, Xuan Thien Group has received approval from the Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee to invest in five high-tech pig farming projects within Ngoc Lac district. These projects have a total production scale of 25,600 sows and 460,000 pigs per year; with a total investment capital of 13,000 billion VND, and a land use area of approximately 448.4 hectares.

Nguyen Huy Hoang, General Director of Xuan Thien Group, reported that during the implementation of Xuan Thien's high-tech livestock production projects, the company has received support from Thanh Hoa province in surveying project sites and completing investment procedures.

The company has coordinated with investors and the local community in disseminating and paying compensation policies. Additionally, Xuan Thien Group has promoted the project's benefits to the local community by purchasing local agricultural products and providing employment for local labor.

The company has expedited the completion of paperwork to transfer land for the project and supported the project infrastructure.

To date, one of the aforementioned projects has come into operation (Xuan Thien Thanh Hoa High-Tech Livestock Production Complex 1), with a current herd of over 9,200 pigs. The remaining four projects are undergoing the land clearance and compensation process. However, the implementation progress has encountered multiple challenges due to unresolved agreements on compensation rates with local households.

Xuan Thien Group recently requested permission from the Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee to adjust their project investment policies from traditional pig farming to high-tech pig farming in high-rise buildings.

Regarding these adjustments, General Director Nguyen Huy Hoang commented: "Xuan Thien is the first company in Vietnam to propose a pig farming model in high-rise buildings. This is not a new initiative as China, one of Vietnam's neighboring country, has already established 5,000 high-rise buildings dedicated to pig farming.

We propose adopting this model to conserve local land resources. Additionally, raising pigs in high-rise buildings facilitates coordinated technological investments and enhances environmental management, thereby promoting operational efficiency.

Most notably, the model is expected to shorten land clearance time. Instead of expanding the farming scale horizontally, which consumes more land, pig farming in high-rise buildings aims for vertical expansion to optimize land use.

In addition, the farm management process will become more professional and centralized, encompassing care, sanitation, and product distribution."

General Director Nguyen Huy Hoang added that the company aims for intensive, high-quality, and sustainable agriculture. Despite the higher costs—approximately 1.4 times more—for high-rise pig farming compared to the current pen farming method, this model introduces new prospects for enhancing farming efficiency and maintaining optimal environmental conditions.

Thanh Hoa's perspective

Regarding the proposal to adjust the investment policy from traditional pig farming to high-tech pig farming in high-rise buildings, Thanh Hoa province commented: "The new pig farming model employs modern scientific and technological advancements to enhance livestock efficiency, shorten land clearance time, optimize shared infrastructure, improve land use efficiency, manage disease outbreaks, and utilize advanced environmental protection methods. The model also complies with the province's strategy to innovate in research, application, and transfer of science and technology." This statement was detailed in the document issued by the Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

However, according to Thanh Hoa province, there are currently no existing facilities nationwide that practice advanced high-rise pig farming as proposed by Xuan Thien Thanh Hoa Joint Stock Company. Furthermore, the province noted a lack of detailed regulation or guideline from the central government regarding standards and criteria for this specific farming model.

Based on the aforementioned analysis, Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee requested instructions from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development regarding the implementation policy for high-tech pig farming in high-rise buildings as proposed by Xuan Thien Group.

Additionally, Thanh Hoa province requested the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to provide a written guideline to the Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee regarding legal bases, standards, criteria, and specific requirements to serve as a basis for reviewing and resolving the high-rise pig farming proposal made by Xuan Thien Group.

"In the event that current legal doucments lack detailed regulations on standards, criteria, and requirements applicable to the high-tech pig farming model in high-rise buildings and if the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has a unified stance on supporting the implementation of this model; We request the Ministry to issue a temporary guideline on the standards, criteria, and requirements applicable to the high-tech pig farming model in high-rise buildings, which will serve as a basis for the Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee to review and resolve the proposal made by Xuan Thien Thanh Hoa Joint Stock Company. This guideline can also act as a reference point for other local governments in similar cases, if necessary," a quote from the document issued by Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.