The livestock sector in China is at the heart of a real crisis, because of the rise in prices per pound of pork.The farmers then innovated by raising pigs as heavy as polar bears, an initiative supported by the government.
Pig farming in crisis
A few months ago, we spoke of the terrible swine fever epidemic in China and neighboring countries. However, this disease has caused a real carnage because it was about to slaughter about 200 million animals in China alone. This measure aimed to stem the epidemic, although some experts felt that it would take several years to achieve this.
As a result, China lost nearly half of its hog herd and prices soared. As Bloomberg reports in an article on October 6, 2019, the price of pork per kilogram has risen by 46.7% since the beginning of the epidemic! This incredible inflation is also the subject of a project supported by the Chinese government.
Pigs with excessive weight
The government is demanding that breeders increase production. However, as livestock prices have risen sharply, a large number of farmers are unable to afford to bail out their livestock. Nevertheless, a parade was visibly found: drastically increase the weight of animals to maximize yield.
For example, some breeders in Guangxi province are raising pigs weighing just under 500 kg! This weight is close to that of a male polar bear. Each pig that justifies such a weight can sell for nearly 10,000 yuan, or about 1,300 euros. However, not all pigs weigh as much, far from it, but a general increase in the weight of the animals is observed. Remember that usually an adult pig weighs about 125 kg but those grown in China today are about 50 kg more.
In general, breeders and other companies in the sector want to achieve a weight increase of around 15%. This would mean an increase in profit to 30%. The Chinese government calling for increased production supports these initiatives by unlocking certain solutions. For example, measures that reduce the environmental impact or change the laws regulating the market from an economic point of view.
