China’s pig farming recovers, official says

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By Ella Cao, Mei Mei Chu and Lewis Jackson

BEIJING- China’s hog farms have come out of a loss-making phase, while losses in cattle and dairy farming have been partially alleviated, an agriculture ministry official said on Monday.

The country’s burgeoning meat and dairy sectors are struggling with oversupply challenges due to a slowing economy and declining consumption.

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“Fully reversing the difficulties in (cattle and dairy) production and operation still requires further efforts,” said Chen Bangxun, a senior official at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

China will continue to implement policies to address challenges in the beef and dairy sectors and stabilize production capacity, Chen said at a news conference.

Authorities are already investigating beef imports as part of efforts to protect domestic producers.

China is also considering trade restrictions on imports of dairy and pork from the European Union, although the anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigation is a tit-for-tat response to the bloc’s tariff plan for China-made electric vehicles, analysts have said.

The world’s largest importer of grains and meat is increasingly concerned about food security issues, particularly in light of trade tensions with countries like the United States and the EU.

“The string of food security must remain tightened, and grain production must be firmly secured to ensure that the rice bowl remains in our own hands,” said Pan Wenbo, another official at the ministry.

The ministry pledged to increase the scale of corn storage, strengthen policies for soybean production and sales, and carefully manage the timing, pace, and scale of grain imports.

It will also implement targeted field management measures and focus on disaster prevention and disease control for winter wheat and winter rapeseed crop after the Lunar New Year. 

China’s pork production in 2024 fell for the first time after rising for three years straight, official data showed on Friday, as livestock companies reduced slaughter rates due to ample hog supply and weak meat demand. —Reuters

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