China pork imports from US to rise 29 percent

China's pork imports from the U.S. will likely rise around 29 percent in 2012 despite high U.S. grain prices, on the heels of a 30 percent increase in the second half of 2011, according to the Beijing Orient Agribusiness Consultant Ltd. research firm.
The imports, around an estimated 620,000 tons, will account for less than 2 percent of China's annual pork consumption. China imported 480,000 tons of pork from the U.S. in 2011, according to Beijing Orient Agribusiness Consultant.