​Vietnamese firms find it hard to export eggs to US amid latter’s shortage

​Vietnamese firms find it hard to export eggs to US amid latter’s shortage

While the U.S. is facing a shortage of fresh eggs, most local businesses in Vietnam, with a plentiful supply of fresh eggs, find it hard to seize this opportunity.

The supply of poultry eggs in Vietnam is quite abundant, but local enterprises find it hard to export them to the U.S.. Photo: N.Tri / Tuoi Tre

The shortage of fresh eggs in the U.S. has caused a significant price increase in the country, which is urgently seeking to import eggs from various European nations.

Truong Chi Thien, CEO of Vinh Thanh Dat Company, an egg supplier in Ho Chi Minh City, said that while the company ships processed eggs such as century eggs, salted eggs, and recently frozen liquid eggs to South Korea, it has not yet exported fresh eggs.

"Processed eggs have a shelf life of six months to a year, while fresh eggs have a short shelf life and can only be stored in refrigeration, not frozen like meat. Therefore, exporting [fresh eggs] to distant markets like the U.S. is hard, not to mention meeting the required quality standards," Thien said.

He also mentioned that exporting by air, instead of by sea, could help address the shelf-life issue, but given the low price of eggs, the high costs of air transport would make it difficult to achieve economic efficiency.

Pham Thi Huan, chairwoman of Ba Huan JSC, one of Vietnam’s leading poultry and egg producers, confirmed to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Saturday that she has held multiple discussions with partners in Singapore, Taiwan, and other markets to export fresh eggs but has yet to succeed.

The company has only been able to export processed eggs to a few markets, with the quantity gradually increasing.

Due to the limited shelf life of fresh eggs, the company is prioritizing negotiations for export to nearby markets, with a possibility of exporting to Singapore in the near future, Huan noted.

According to Le Van Quyet, vice-chairman of the Southeast Livestock Association, despite the abundant supply of fresh eggs in Vietnam, a few businesses are currently able to ship this product, particularly to distant or demanding markets.

Many strict markets have high quality requirements, particularly that fresh eggs must come from chickens that have not been vaccinated against avian flu. However, in Vietnam, most chickens receive this vaccine.

Moreover, the shelf life of fresh eggs is only about a week, so exporting is quite challenging, Quyet said.

Meanwhile, experts point out that negotiating and completing export procedures for the U.S. market can take six months to a year.

By then, egg supplies in the U.S. may have recovered, as chickens are relatively easy to restock.

When prices in both countries are stable, the difference between egg prices in Vietnam and the U.S. is minimal. However, exporting to distant markets comes with higher costs.

As a result, if the U.S. restores its supply, Vietnamese eggs may struggle to compete, making exports to this market economically unviable, an expert noted.

Tuoi Tre News