Thai farmers warned of pork oversupply

The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has cautioned swine farmers to be ready for potential pork oversupply in the market next year.

Yukon Limlaemthong, permanent secretary for Agriculture and Cooperatives, forecasted an oversupply of pork in the country as farmers have turned to raise more swine after the price of pork has been increasing in the past two years.

Limlaemthong added that the Asean Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is beneficial for exports of Thai pork to neighbouring countries. Despite China's competition, Thailand has more competitive advantage due to its higher quality of pork.

However, he admitted that foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) remains an important limitation for the expansion of pork exports. 90% of exports at present are in the form of cooked pork while exports of live swine account for only 10%.

The permanent secretary then suggested farmers standardise their farms, transport swine with the use of a computer tracking system, and to obtain a clear registration system to control the spread of swine disease.