China’s pork production increases mean more grain imports

A recent Bloomberg report says China, which consumes half the world’s pork, has a goal to be mostly self-sufficient in pork production. That means it will need more grain imports to feed the world’s biggest pig herd. China’s agriculture ministry says the country will maintain a target to produce 95 percent of their protein at home by 2025. It wants to be self-sufficient in poultry and eggs, 85 percent for beef and mutton, and 70 percent for dairy. Farm Policy News says the targets will likely bolster overseas purchases of soybeans and feed grains needed to fatten hogs, cattle, and poultry. China is already the world’s largest importer of soybeans and corn. The Asian nation has been purchasing unprecedented amounts in the past two years to help feed a hog herd recovering from Swine Fever. China’s president Xi Jinping recently urged his country to protect farmland and expand soybean and oil crops planting.