September 17, 2007

China's September pork prices down 11.3 percent from August

China's pork prices have fallen 11.3 percent within the 30 days from Aug 5 to Sep 5, as the supply of live pigs rose in the market, Chinese Agriculture Minister Sun Zhengcai Saturday (Sep 15).

Pork prices fell from RMB 21.4 (US$2.85) per kilogramme on August 9 to RMB 18.98 (US$2.53) per kilogramme by September 5.

Meanwhile, China's pig population went up by 3.4 percent compared with the previous month, and the number of marketable pigs increased 9.9-percent on-year, reversing the decline in July.

The number of sows in stock nationwide rose 3.8 percent in August from a month earlier, which is 3.1 percentage points higher than the figure for July, said the minister at a pig production conference held in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The blue ear disease, which was partly responsible for pork supply shortage and fuelled price hikes in recent months, has been brought under control, the minister said. However, the disease still lingers in 14 Chinese counties.