The price of pork, a staple meat in China, may see a hike of more than 70 percent year-on-year in the latter half of the year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Wednesday.
The price of pork in China had been declining since the first African Swine Fever outbreak in China at the end of August, but it has started to rebound since February, Tang Ke, chief for market and information at the ministry, said at a news conference.
In March, the average wholesale pork price in China was more than 19 yuan ($2.8), a rise of 6.3 percent compared with the previous month, and a rise of 7.6 percent compared with March last year, he said.
Due to ASF outbreaks in the past months, which have hit almost all regions in China, the number of pigs raised in China declined by more than 18 percent in March compared with March of last year, which suggests rising pork prices in the following months, he said.
Tang also called on pig farmers in China to increase the number of pigs they raise for anticipated better profits in the latter half of the year.
