Danish Crown predicts rising demand for pork in China

There will be strong demand for pork in CHINA this year, said Lars Albertsen, DIRECTOR of global sales for Danish Crown Pork. In his opinion, the current situation in the Chinese market is similar to the one in the last quarter of 2019.

“Now there is really a lot of demand from China . It's always hard to compare, but I actually think there's pressure on the market right now, like in the fall of 2019. This means that the orders we are now accepting for delivery in the second half of April and early May are being produced at rising prices,” Mr. Albetsen said.

China is now the driver of global demand, but there are other countries in the Asia-Pacific region that are looking to increase their pork imports. Japan, the Philippines and Australia are seeking global pork suppliers as Germany is currently banned from these markets due to the ASF problem.

At the same time, significantly fewer pigs are sent to the slaughter in the US than a year ago, so buyers in several countries have now turned their attention to Europe.  

Several ASF outbreaks reported in China over the past couple of months have boosted demand in recent weeks, although no one is clear on the real impact of new virus outbreaks on China's pig stocks. “The huge amount of MEAT shipped from North America to China in the spring and summer brought prices down significantly, but now that stock is gone and the Americans have slowed shipments, so there are definitely other factors at play,” Mr. Albertsen said.

Recently, WH Group, China's largest pork processor, announced its intention to increase meat imports as domestic prices remain high. Last year, the Chinese group imported 700,000 tons of meat, mostly pork.