Int’l - Slow export demand for China's pork products

Speaking at the opening session of the 2006 China National Swine Industry Development Forum held in Haikou from Aug 26-28, Ge Zhirong, Assistant Director of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, highlighted the challenges facing China's exporters of pork products. In 2005, China's import and export of food and agricultural products were worth a total of US$55.83 billion, up 9.3 percent compared with a year ago. Exports of food products were valued at US$22.59 billion, an increase of 16 percent on-year. Export volume of pork products declined 6.9 percent to 386,100 tonnes in 2005 while the value was up 38.1 percent on-year to US$718 million. From this January to June this year, cumulative export volume and value of pork products were at 199,400 tonnes and US$353 million respectively, and both were up by a weaker-than-expected 2.94 percent and 0.57 percent. Although these figures suggest that China's pork product export volume had been stable, its pace of growth was slow compared with the better demand for the country's other products in the world market. The severe trading conditions facing China pork's product exporters was attributed to protectionist measures put up by some countries. On the other hand, concerns over food quality and safety had also led some importing countries to shun China's pork products.