February 11, 2020

Pork supplies and prices in China affected by coronavirus

An agriculture ministry official said the coronavirus outbreak has postponed the opening of new swine breeding facilities and affected pork supplies and prices, reported Reuters.

Kong Liang, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Bureau deputy director, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said there are delivery disruptions for important swine feed and veterinary medical supplies. Agricultural employees have delayed return to work at farms as well.

He said the regional blockades have reduced pork supplies and increased prices from a market perspective. China has imposed movement restrictions on people and goods from Wuhan city, the capital of Hubei province and the heart of the coronavirus outbreak.

The African swine fever outbreak in China has reduced pork supplies by about 21.3% last year, with 390,000 swine culled due to the disease. The coronavirus has dampened the government's initiatives to recover the domestic swine industry.

10,000 tonnes of frozen pork have been released from China's state reserves, allocated for Hubei province. The country will also boost imports to supplement dwindling supplies.

-      Reuters