The number of pigs produced in China was down in 2014, while the number of pigs slaughtered was up when compared to 2013. During the year, the country raised 465.83 million pigs and slaughtered 735.1 million pigs, for a 1.7 percent decrease and 2.7 percent increase from 2013, respectively. Pork production, at 56.71 million metric tons, increased by 3.2 percent for the year.
The Chinese pig industry suffered slightly because of an economic slowdown during the year. The number of pigs slaughtered increased largely due to overcapacity, resulting from the government’s support of the industry.
Improvements in infrastructure, pig production efficiency, safety needed
As China’s pig production transitions from traditional methods to more modern production methods, a few issues need to be addressed, according to a report provided by Smart Agriculture Analytics. Those issues include:
- Infrastructure: The current mode of pig production is burdened by weak infrastructure. Individual farmers slaughtering fewer than 50 pigs per year still account for roughly 30 percent of the industry. For larger farms, facilities and equipment are often poorly maintained, and organized management is lacking.
- Efficiency: Production efficiency is lower and costs are higher than on pig farms in developed nations, especially in terms of sow feeding rate and the number of pigs managed per employee.
- Safety: Since the level of standardized production in China is still low, safety issues remain an inevitable concern, according to the report.
