The complications created by the ASF virus in regions such as Asia, East Europe and Africa are expected to drive down production.
Global pork production is forecast to have another consecutive year of decline due to ASF outbreaks in Asia, Africa and Europe, the drop is estimated at 9% by USDA experts. However, the outlook is revising up Chinese pork production by 4% as producers are interested in maximizing their profits by finishing animals at a heavier weight. Nevertheless, the reduction of the Chinese pig inventory registered last year (-41%) will have a clear influence on the production level for 2020, which is expected to drop by 23% compared to 2019.
In the Philippines, pork production is expected to fall by 10% against last year’s figures, as the country was hit by multiple ASF outbreaks since September. On the opposite side, Brazil (+5%), the US (+4%), the EU (1%) and Canada are expected to show growth in production as trey are the main suppliers in the Chinese pork market. Chinese pork imports are expected to reach 3.7 million tonnes, 42% more than in 2019.
