Source: Pig333.com, 20 January 2021, photo credit: NBC News, Chinatopix/AP file
Despite information about the recovery of China’s pig population which, according to its Ministry of Agriculture, was at almost 90% of its normal annual levels prior to the outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) last November, imports of pork and offal continue to rise.
The Chinese government has just published data for the month of December, which, with 440,000 tonnes, brings total pork imports in 2020 to 4,380,000 tonnes, twice as much as in 2019 (2,002,679 tonnes). If offal is also taken into account, the total figure for imports in 2020 is 5,730,000 tonnes.
Between January and October the EU exported a total of 2,624,142 tonnes (including offal) to China, which indicates that the EU will end the year providing China with more than 50% of its needs in pork imports. In the case of the United States, the latest available data published by USMEF shows that between January and November exports to China increased by 72% over the same period the year prior, reaching 955,008 tonnes.
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The South African Pork Producers’ Organisation (SAPPO) coordinates industry interventions and collaboratively manages risks in the value chain to enable the sustainability and profitability of pork producers in South Africa.
