Chinese state media report that the number of pigs increased by 23.5% compared to last year.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the number of pigs in China increased by 23.5% in May 2021 compared to the same period last year.

Reuters reports that data from the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture shows that the sow herd increased by 19.3% over the same period, reaching 98.4% of the herd at the end of 2017.

China's massive pig herd, which produces about half of the world's pork, fell 40% in 2019 after the African swine fever virus swept through Chinese pig farms, according to official figures. Over the past year, the industry has invested billions of yuan in new intensive farms to restore the herd.

“Now we can say with full confidence that the initial three-year mission to restore pig production has been completed ahead of schedule,” Xin Guochang, an official with the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine of the Ministry of Agriculture, told CCTV.