Rising demand

China, the world's biggest pork producer and consumer, has imported pork and pigs for years to meet domestic demand.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, in 2019, global pork consumption reached 100 million metric tons, with China taking some 49 percent of this total.

However, due to the onset of African swine fever in 2019 and the pandemic last year, pork consumption in China has fallen, in tandem with rising prices.

Shi Yan, founder of the Shared Harvest Organic Farm in Beijing, who is a specialist on agricultural and rural development, said, "Domestic pig production has been affected because of some import obstacles, which have caused pork prices to rise.

"From a long-term perspective, demand for pork in China will continue to rise, as people will eat more of it amid rapid urbanization."

According to online source The Pig Site, China imported a record 27,000 pigs last year to help restock its breeding farms with high-quality animals. The previous record was 17,300 in 2013.

The country mainly imports these pigs from Denmark, the US, Canada and the United Kingdom.

With such imports rising, the industry in China faces challenges resulting from a shortage of capital, a long profit cycle and technological problems.