China demanding up to 25% more pork
China’s demand for imported pork will be about 1 million tonnes, according to the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). That, in total, is a 23.5% increase when compared to last year.
This year, China is estimated to produce about 57 million tonnes of pork. Chinese custom figures show that Germany has become the major trade partner for China with regard to pork; the US coming second, Canada taking the third place. For the EU, China is the second-most important destination of pork.
Chinese consumption rising faster than production
The main reason for China’s growing demand for pork imports is that consumption is growing faster than domestic production. Domestic pig production is estimated to grow by 1.5% this year, to 57 million tonnes, with the Chinese consumption being estimated at 58 million tonnes in 2015 – a rise of 2.2%.
Improving standards of living in China
Experts think China’s pork consumption in China will grow by 35% between now and 2020. A rise of income and better living standards are the reasons for this growing demand.
Apart from meat, China also has a strong demand for technology for slaughterhouses and processing lines. Meatpackers merge or get acquired and subsequently wish to invest. In addition, also playing a role in the transition to invest in modern technology are food safety and the growing demand for packaged products. The country therefore offers good export possibilities for both meatpackers as well as for meat processing technology companies.
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