Chinese pork production down 3.6 percent in 2015

According to data released October 19 by the National Bureau of Statistics of China (NBSC), Chinese pork production during the last three quarters amounted to 38.28 million metric tons, decreasing 3.6 percent year-on-year.
The statistics indicated that pork production declined despite the increasing weight of hogs and the individual carcass weight due to the decreasing number of hogs in stock, the declining slaughter rate and the higher prices that restrained domestic demand.
According to the NBSC, in September, the total number of hogs slaughtered at the large-scale designated slaughterhouses registered an increase of 13.53 percent at 17.03 million head, compared with the number in August. Such change suggested that because of the ending of low stock levels of pigs and plunging prices the number of pigs slaughtered rose as the excess stocks were dumped on the market in some regions across China.
When compared to 2014, the slaughter number of pigs decreased. Along with the rising Chinese pork prices, the rising number of supplement and in-stock pigs, the prices were thus adjusted. Since December, 2013, the pork prices has witnessed a continual decline. Up to May, 2014, the loss of each head of pig was as high as CNY400 (US$62.96). In 2015, pork prices have increased since March and the supplement conditions improved from a year ago, thus the eased falls of the slaughter number in September.