Online Edition Reporter: Li Ping According to the latest statistics from the General Administration of Customs, China imported the pork of 275,000 tons in total from January to July in this year, increasing by 8.2 times as compared with that at the same period last year (similarly hereinafter). Thus, it explains the sharp fall of the latest pork price to a certain extent.
As indicated by the personnel from the General Administration of Customs, China's import volume and price of the pork had been sharply increased since last year. At the end of this May, China adjusted the temporary tax rate for the import of the frozen pork. The import tariff hereof was lowered from 12% to 6% since June 1. With the support of a series of policies, China's pork import was increased rapidly. In this June, monthly import of the pork reached the peak value of 60,000 tons. In July, the monthly import volume thereof fell to 51,000 tons.
For the price, the average import price in this July was USD 1,675/ton, increasing by 61.5% as compared with the same period last year. From January to July this year, the average import price reached USD 1480/ton, increasing by 53.2% year on year.
China mainly imports the pork from Europe and America. From January to July this year, China imported the pork of 147,000 tons from USA, increasing by 24.1 times and the pork of 95,000 tons from European Union, increasing by 6.2 times. Import volume from the above regions accounted for 88% of China's total port import at the same period. Import volume from Guangdong and Beijing exceeded by 80%. From January to July this year, the enterprises in Guangdong imported the pork of 139,000 tons, increasing by 7.8 times. The enterprises in Beijing imported the pork of 90,000 tons, while only 630 tons hereof was imported at the same period last year. The import volume from Guangdong and Beijing accounted for 83.3% of China's pork import in total.
As pointed out by Yao Minpu, the deputy chairman of Chia Tai (China), though the pork import on a large scale is help to solve the insufficient supply in a short period, the impact will be caused to the domestic livestock breeding inevitably. It is disadvantageous to the healthy development of China's livestock breeding in the long run. In recent years, the profits of the pig cultivation were continuously shrunken due to the sharply increase of the prices for the corn, fish meal and soybean meal, etc., so that the farmer's pig-keeping positively was baffled. Also, the epidemic situation always occurs in pig-keeping. In this case, China's pig breeding stock was sharply declined. The pork was under short supply and the price of the pork was sharply increased.
For the second half-year, China's pork market appeared shock, particularly, drop sharply in September. It is universally accepted by the industry insiders that the lacking of pork previously has fallen into place. A new round of recession in price has already begun.
"The pig cultivation is the weakest link among the industry chain of 'fodder - cultivation - slaughter - meat products’, but currently, the profits inside the industry are centralized to this link. Therefore, parts of offshore funds also enter to this field, so as to prepare for the purchase of the piggery and gradually enter China's meat-packing and marketing channel. This would produce the great impact on the cultivation and meatpacking industry which are still at the stage of development in China." said by the personnel from the General Administration of Customs.
So, as suggested by the General Administration of Customs, the pig market information system and the epidemic disease analysis system shall be further established and improved, so as to effectively protect the pig supply in the home market and decrease the loss arising from the epidemic disease. The meat-packing enterprises shall be encouraged to extend the industry chain downward and develop the standardized pig-keeping. The technological measures shall be used to improve the raising management. Also, the cost shall be reduced from the source to guarantee the stable supply of the fed. Meanwhile, we shall pay close attention to the trends of China's import volume and price for the pork after the import tariff is adjusted and follow up the influence from the policy adjustment.
