Official data from the National Bureau of statistics has revealed that China’s pork output for 2020 recorded only marginal losses, after experiencing a massive decline in 2019 following an outbreak of African Swine Fever which decimated the country’s pig herd.
China slaughtered 527.04 million hogs in 2020, the data showed, down 3.2% from the same period a year earlier. However, output in the final quarter of 2020 jumped to 13 million tonnes, according to Reuters calculations based on the data, up 21% on the same quarter a year ago when it produced 10.74 million tonnes, indicating strong signs of recovery.
China’s overall 2020 pork output fell 3.3% from a year earlier to 41.13 million tonnes after dropping a significant 21% in 2019, the National Bureau of Statistics said. Its pig herd rose to 406.5 million heads at the end of December, from 370.39 million at the end of September.
A report from Reuters attributes strong policy support and incentives unleashed in the third quarter of 2019 as triggers for the huge investment in the rebuilding of the country’s herd, with more than 200 billion yuan ($30.87 billion) invested into new farms.
