China 2021 Meat Imports Fall 5.4 Percent

USAgNet - 01/18/2022

China's imports of meat fell 5.4% in 2021 from the year before, customs data showed on Friday, as a surge in domestic supply of pork cut demand for overseas supplies.

According to Farms.com, more than half the meat imported by China is pork, the nation's favorite protein, while about a quarter is beef.

China brought in 9.38 million metric tons of meat last year, said the General Administration of Customs, down from 9.91 million in 2020.

Producers have boosted pork output in recent years after output was devastated by an epidemic of African swine fever in 2018 and 2019.

But the surge in supply comes amid weak demand for pork, as fewer people dine out because of a series of COVID-19 outbreaks.

Domestic pork prices fell for most of last year and are down 14% in 2022, pressuring the price of exported meat too.

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