January 25, 2021

China's pork, offal imports on the rise

China's import of pork and offal continues to rise despite the Chinese pig population - which according to the country's Ministry of Agriculture - being at close to 90% of its normal annual levels prior to the outbreak of African swine fever (ASF).

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 European Union 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.

- Pig333