China Looks to Rebound, Increasing Demand for Meat

BEIJING, CHINA – Driven by higher estimates for pork, total meat import forecasts for China in both 2020 and 2021 have been revised higher.

According USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service, Chinese meat imports for the previous year will be 4 percent higher than last anticipated, and 1 percent higher in 2021.

While pork import growth slowed in the fourth quarter of 2020, it nevertheless exceeded expectations and results in a more bullish outlook for 2021.

The impact of African Swine Fever (ASF) is expected to have reached its zenith in 2020, pressuring consumption and increasing the country’s reliance on meat imports.

Despite the elevated pace of trade, China meat consumption in 2020 fell to its lowest level in more than a decade.

In 2021, higher estimates for both China pork production and imports lead total meat consumption up 2 percent from the prior forecast but still, total meat consumption is expected to be below pre-ASF levels.
(SOURCE: All Ag News)