The retail price of pork in 36 big and medium-sized cities in
China fell slightly for the fifth week in a row amid the government
efforts to guarantee pork production and supply, sources from the
National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said Monday.
According to the NDRC's price supervision centre, the average
pork price in the cities was 25.56 yuan (US$3.5) per kilogram last
week, 1.08 percent lower than the week before and 8.39 percent
lower than August 9, the highest ever.
The pork price hike in China was in line with international
prices, said Patrick Moore, president of the International Meat
Secretariat (IMS), who was speaking at the fourth IMS World Pork
Conference in Nanjing from September 14 to 17.
Moore said the main reason for worldwide pork price rises was
the increasing demand and pig-raising costs. Although China
consumed half the world's pork output, the temporary price hike
would not seriously affect the market.
Prices would stabilize early next year, as the government made
efforts to guarantee farmers' incomes and benefits, said Deng
Fujiang, vice chairman of the China Meat Association .
The retail prices of beef, mutton and chicken rose slightly last
week by 1.28 percent, 1.35 percent and 1.29 percent respectively,
while eggs were down 0.41 percent from the week before.
(Xinhua News Agency September 18, 2007)
