Consumers buy pork in a supermarket in Lianyungang, East China's Jiangsu Province on Wednesday. Photo: IC

China's imports of pork and related products are predicted to surpass 3 million tons this year and will continue to rise in 2020, a Chinese official said on Thursday, urging international pork trading firms to set export prices reasonably.

The country's imports of pork substitutes including beef and poultry will reach 2.7 million tons this year, Wang Bin, deputy chief for market operations at the Ministry of Commerce, said at the 10th China International Meat Conference in Shanghai, domestic news site 21jingji.com reported.

China recently stepped up its pork imports as it has been fighting against African Swine Fever (ASF) for over a year, since the virus was first discovered in August 2018.

Entering the winter season, market demand for meat will rack up, particularly as China's traditional Spring Festival draws near, Wang said while encouraging importers and suppliers to cooperate actively with Chinese consumers.

"Now is the best time. You can sign more agreements on pork trade. Then you can occupy the Chinese market during the golden season from New Year's Day to the Spring Festival, as well as the first quarter of next year," he was quoted as saying in the report.

He noted that international meat trading firms should have long-term vision in setting reasonable export prices and establishing long-term stable and sustainable trade relationships with Chinese purchasers.

"Do not hike up pork export prices too high. That will force you to lose the opportunity to seek long-term development in the Chinese market," he said.

The price of pork imported to China has skyrocketed to around $5,000 per ton, double its prices in April and May, Wang said.

Though impacted by ASF, China's pig supply will likely increase in the second half of 2020, Wang said.

In the first three quarters this year, domestic pork production dropped 17.2 percent year-on-year to 31.81 million tons, Wang said, noting that domestic consumption of pork dropped 20 to 30 percent due to soaring prices.


Newspaper headline: China’s pork imports predicted to surpass 3m tons in 2019: official