Chinese production is threatened by African swine fever

The increase in swine fever cases in China threatens to reduce the production of this type of meat in the Asian giant.

The crisis generated by the disease is likely to raise the prices of this food in the domestic market of the country, the largest consumer of this food in the world.

A report by Huachuang Securities, a Beijing-based investment agency, shows that this year’s explosion of cases began around January.

“We think the current swine fever infection region in the northern production areas may be as high as 50 percent,” it added,” the document said.

According to Reuters, swine fever has plagued China for years.

An initial wave in 2018 and 2019 killed millions of pigs, dramatically declining local production.

The problem has rattled the global market for that industry.

The disease has reduced Chinese pork production from 54 million tonnes in 2018 to 42 million tonnes in 2019.

A 22% drop and the local industry will return to pre-crisis levels only in 2022, according to data from the United States Department of Agriculture.

The outbreak has caused Chinese farms to improve hygiene and procedures to contain the disease.

However, a senior manager at one of China’s largest pork protein producers confirmed that the problem is spreading again.

“We see many new infections in March,” he said, without accepting to be identified. “We feel it’s not over yet; that’s the problem.”

SWINE FEVER IN CHINA AND BRAZIL’S EXPORTS

In Brazil, which is free of swine fever, the outbreak in China could boost exporters.

According to figures from the Brazilian Institute of Statistical Geography, in 2022, local farmers reached a record 5 million tonnes.

Around 1 million tonnes went to the foreign market, with the Chinese responsible for most of the Brazilian shipments in the sector.

With information from Revista Oeste

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