Building an integrated quail farming value chain

Dong Nai City is among Vietnam's leading localities in quail farming. Compared with other poultry species, quail farming offers higher economic returns thanks to its modest housing requirements, relatively low start-up costs, and short production cycle, allowing farmers to recover their investment more quickly.

Nguyen Ngoc Hung's laying quail farm in Tri An Ward.

In recent years, several quail farms across the city have invested in large-scale, climate-controlled closed-house systems. As specialized quail farming areas have taken shape, Dong Nai has attracted investment in ready-to-eat quail egg processing, including pasteurized and sterilized products, helping establish integrated value chains from production to processing and marketing.

Generating good income

Nguyen Ngoc Hung, a farmer in Tri An ward with nearly 20 years of experience in quail farming, said dozens of local households currently raise quails.

"Quail farming remains profitable, and market demand has been relatively stable. As a result, many families have expanded the model and encouraged their relatives to take up the business," he said.

Hung's family currently raises more than 60,000 egg-laying quails. According to him, the business requires relatively little initial capital. Although market demand fluctuates at times, it remains more stable than that for other types of livestock.

His farm operates under a circular agriculture model, with livestock waste reused as fish feed to generate additional income.

Previously, quail farming was mainly carried out on a small household scale. Over the past few years, however, several farms have shifted towards industrial-scale production by investing in climate-controlled housing systems that improve biosecurity and disease prevention. Pham Van Thinh's farm in Trang Dai ward is among the pioneers in industrial-scale quail farming. Equipped with enclosed cold-house facilities, steel and stainless-steel cages, and automated feeding and watering systems, the farm is capable of raising hundreds of thousands of birds in each production cycle.

Thinh said Dong Nai has a long tradition of quail farming, giving local farmers extensive husbandry experience. Compared with many other poultry species, quails are less susceptible to disease. When farms strictly apply biosecurity measures, the birds develop well, maintain high egg productivity, and enjoy relatively stable market demand, giving farmers greater confidence to expand production.

Building a processing ecosystem

According to local farmers, strong market demand for quail eggs has encouraged more producers to adopt modern technologies and expand industrial-scale production in recent years. Quail eggs are widely consumed in the domestic market because of their high nutritional value, while export potential is also substantial.

Home to one of Vietnam's largest quail populations, Dong Nai has developed specialized farming areas capable of supplying large volumes of eggs, attracting processors of ready-to-eat quail egg products. To secure stable raw material supplies, processors are focusing on building integrated value chains that connect farms with processing facilities and markets, ensuring long-term sustainable development.

Processing ready-to-eat quail eggs at VINAEGG Production and Trading Co., Ltd. in Tan Phu Commune.

Ngo Minh Tuyen, Director of VINAEGG Production and Trading Co., Ltd. in Tan Phu Ward, said Dong Nai's well-established quail farming industry encouraged the company to invest tens of billions of Vietnamese dong in a modern processing plant producing pasteurized and sterilized quail eggs.

With a processing capacity of around one million eggs per day, the company supplies products to markets across Vietnam while also targeting exports. To meet international requirements, the plant is equipped with advanced processing technology that complies with global standards.

The company has secured export orders for markets including Europe, the United States and Japan.

Tuyen said the company places strong emphasis on building a farm-to-table value chain. It currently partners with and purchases eggs from 12 VietGAP-certified laying quail farms in the locality.

Going forward, the company plans to expand its production network, invest in large-scale high-tech quail farms, and upgrade farming practices to meet GlobalGAP standards.

Local farmers believe that investment in quail egg processing plants will help secure stable outlets for their products while promoting the sustainable development of Dong Nai City's integrated quail farming value chain.

By B.Nguyen – Translated by M.Nguyet, Minho