China may increase US pork imports to resolve trade war

China may boost pork imports from the US to a record level as part of its plan to resolve the trade war.

Imports may increase up to 300,000t compared with 166,000t in 2017 before the trade war began.

A source told news agency Bloomberg that China may order up to 200,000t in the first half of this year.

The outbreak of African swine fever will impact the final volume, reported one of the sources.

African swine fever, which was reported in August, has impacted hog production. Cullings have led to increasing prices, which in turn has pushed China to make its third biggest weekly purchase from the US.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, pork imports to China is expected to increase 28% this year.

Currently, the US is the only country that meets the increasing Chinese demand for pork. China is currently the world’s largest pork-consuming nation.

The trade war has increased tariffs by 62%.

In May 2018, the US National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) urged for a quick resolution to the trade dispute between the US and China, as US pork producers incurred a loss of $2.2bn on an annual basis since the beginning of the disagreement.

NPPC noted that uncertainty in the export market comes at a time when the US pork industry is expanding its production to record levels.