China’s sow herd rose 4.7% in November 2021

At the end of November 2021, China’s sow herd was 4.7% larger than in the previous year at 42.96 million head.

Those figures were released by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture (MARA), as reported by news agency Reuters.

The size of the herd was down 1.2% from October 2021, according to MARA. The country is still in the process of rebuilding the pig herd after African Swine Fever, which slashed its production.

Output by Chinese slaughterhouses

Slaughterhouses with an annual production capacity at 20,000 head and above slaughtered 235.89 million pigs in the first 11 months of the year, up 66.1% from a year ago, according to the data jointly released by MARA and other ministries including the ministry of commerce.

In 2021, a growing output as well as oversupply caused pork prices in China to plunge and pushed hog margins to negative territory.

The net profit of raising pigs on large farms was at RMB 293 (US$ 45.97) per head in November, which is a reduction of 187.3% from the previous month. The value was also down 69% from a year ago, according to the data.