Hungary expects pork prices to rise

Pork prices on the Hungarian market are expected to rise this year as producers grapple with rising feed, energy and labor costs. According to Tamás Eder, president of the Hungarian MEAT Industry Association, prices will rise in 2022, although no one can say yet by how much.

The pork sector has been hit by two viruses in recent years: covid-19 and African swine fever virus, Eder said in a radio broadcast. He added that in the first quarter of 2021, demand in the international live pig market increased by 25%, after which there was a steady decline in prices until the end of the year.

Meanwhile, the prices of feed, energy and wages are steadily rising.

Eder did not specify how much he expected prices to rise, saying in a radio program that the cost of producing live pigs is generally 65-70% dependent on the cost of feed, which rose by 25-30% during the year.