September 11, 2007

 

China to increase 2007 pork imports to 100,000 tonnes

 

 

China is likely to import another 70,000 tonnes of pork during the last five months of 2007, more than double the amount it imported during the first seven months, the official Xinhua News Agency reported late Friday (September 7), citing a Ministry of Commerce spokesman.

 

The country may import 100,000 tonnes of pork in 2007, the report cited the unnamed spokesman as saying, up from 24,000 tonnes in 2006.

 

Bi Jingquan, a vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, had said earlier this month that China imported 30,000 tonnes of pork in the first seven months of this year, and exported 95,000 tonnes of pork in the same period.

 

The Xinhua report, citing the spokesman, said 100,000 tonnes of pork would represent only 0.2 percent of the country's total consumption.

 

The imported pork will be mostly used in expensive hotels and restaurants, and won't have much impact on the domestic market, the spokesman said.

 

China increased pork imports this year due to a domestic hog shortage, which is due in part to an outbreak of blue ear disease among the country's hog population.

 

China, the world's largest pork producer, produced 52 million tonnes of pork in 2006, about 53 percent of the world's total output.

 

The Xinhua report said only the US, Canada, and some processing plants in France, Denmark and Ireland are allowed to export pork to China due to the country's strict quality supervision, inspection and quarantine system.

 

At the end of this year, pork stocks in the US is expected at 230,000 tonnes, the same as last year, while pork stocks in Canada is likely to be 50,000 tonnes, the report said.

 

The international pork supply is limited compared with China's demand, it said.

 

China has been saying its pork supply will be based on domestic production.