March 9, 2020

China resumes livestock, poultry farming

Since the Covid-19 outbreak, measures taken by China's related authorities have boosted poultry production and helped firms in accessing feed supplies and finding buyers, stated Han Changfu, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Saturday that more will be done to ensure that the country's livestock and poultry businesses will meet their output and supply targets this year despite the outbreak.

Animal husbandry businesses showed positive changes with feed supply being secured, poultry inventory reduced and livestock production recovery gaining momentum, Han said.

Next, local authorities should attach great importance to production of livestock and poultry in order to increase supply of meat products and timely address acute problems regarding production and transport with unconventional measures, so as to make up for the production capacity loss and minimise the impact of the epidemic, according to a released statement.

The meeting also highlighted facilitating poultry sales with efforts including orderly reopening of live poultry markets and expanding hog production by speeding up the construction of capacity expansion projects and supporting small and medium-sized producers in scaling up output.

Targeted policies will be introduced to incentivise hog and poultry farming, while prevention and control measures will be beefed up against animal diseases including bird flu and African swine fever.