July 30, 2008
Greater sow supply to ease China's pork prices by Q4 2008
China's pork prices are likely to remain at high levels for a while but an increase in sows in the fourth quarter of the year should ease the current tight supply, bringing down prices, according to a senior farm ministry official.
Pork prices have been rising due to surging feedmeal prices, labour costs and electricity prices, Vice Agricultural Minister Zhang Baowen said in a statement published on the ministry's Web site late Tuesday (July 29, 2008).
The country's live hog stocks are expected to have grown 9.4 percent on year in the first half to 470 million heads, among which the volume of fertile sows are estimated to have risen 22.5 percent on year to 51.75 million heads, said Zhang.
China's meat output in the first six months is estimated to have risen 4.5 percent on year to 35.6 million tonnes, while the milk output may have risen 11.5 percent on year to 19.15 million tons, Zhang said.
China is likely to consume 2 million tonnes of milk per year by 2015, which will boost the development of the cattle industry, he added.