China alleviates pork shortage by financial support and pork release

The percentage of pigs delivered for slaughter in China jumped by 14.1 percent month on month in December 2019, alleviating the country's pork shortage caused by African swine fever, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

Previously, the percentage compared to the previous month dropped consecutively from August to November, said Yu Kangzhen, vice minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, at a press conference on Wednesday.

The inventory ratio of sow climbed by 2.2 percent in December, seven percent higher than that in September, said Yu, adding that the production of sow food surged by 10 percent in the month.

"It shows that the national hog basic production capacity is rising," said Yu.

In 2019, China invested 300 million yuan (about 43.2 million U.S. dollars) in supporting hog production. The government will continue to do so financially in 2020, the ministry said.