African swine fever in China is largely contained, with pig raising, shipping and peddling all comig back to normalcy, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Thursday. 

According to the Ministry, as of Wednesday, there have been a total of 143 outbreaks of African swine fever in China since last August. Forty-4 swine fever outbreaks occurred in 2019, with less than 10 breaking out each month in April, May and June. Restrictions on 25 affected provinces have all been lifted, said the Ministry. 

However, the price of pork is still being driven up by the shortage of livestock, the Ministry said during a previous press meeting on Monday. In May, the average price of pork stood at 20.63 yuan ($3) per kilogram, representing a 1.6 percent jump over the previous month, and 29.3 percent compared to the same period last year. 

With the shortage of live pigs China has increased its imports of meats. According to statistics released by the General Administration of Customs, China's meat imports reached record highs at 556,276 tons in May, a 45 percent year-on-year increase. Pork imports witnessed the sharpest hike at 63 percent to 187,459 tons.