OREANDA-NEWS. China’s rising pork prices are again the centre of attention in the global pork market. China’s pork prices skyrocketed at the start of 2016, reaching an all-time high of over RMB 20 per kilogram. A combination of farmers’ losses and government measures to close down unsuitable farms led to destocking over the past two years, which also drove the Chinese sow herd size to a historic low, according to Rabobank report ‘What’s Happening in China’s Pork Market’.

“China plays an increasingly important role in the global pork market,” says Chenjun Pan, Senior Animal Protein Analyst at Rabobank. “China needs to increase imports to cover the supply gap in 2016. In total, we expect China to increase pork imports by 30%. The EU, the US and Canada are well-positioned to increase exports to China given their availability of product and the adaption of production systems in response to China’s ractopamine-free policy.”