BEIJING - Pork prices will stay high this year, but price rises are controllable since the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) has taken measures to ensure a stable pork supply, a MOC official said on Thursday.

The average wholesale pork price hit 25.8 yuan ($3.96) per kg last week, up 0.4 percent from the previous week, or 14.1 percent higher than the price registered at the beginning of the year, the official told a briefing, citing a nationwide survey conducted by the MOC.

After almost three years of falls, pork prices have been rising for about a year, although at a slower pace since March, according to the MOC.

To replenish the supply, the ministry and 12 local governments including Beijing, Zhejiang and Shaanxi have increased the supply of frozen pork from reserves since December 2015. Altogether, about 150,000 tons of pork reserves had been released onto the market.

Pig supplies will increase as farmers choose to raise more pigs due to rising prices in the past year, according to the MOC.

Pork is China's staple meat and its price is subject to a boom-and-bust cycle.