Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has asked local governments at all
levels to ensure the supply of pork and maintain market order amid
rising concerns over soaring pork prices.
"We have noticed the recent rise in pork prices, and the
government is going all out to ensure the supply of pork and keep
it affordable," Wen told a crowd in a supermarket during his visit
in Xi'an on Saturday for an investigation into pig-raising and pork
markets.
A resident of Xi'an in the supermarket told Wen they can still
afford the pork price at the moment, however they feel pressured at
the thought of impending hikes.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, in April live pigs
nationwide were priced 71.3 percent higher than a month earlier,
and pork, 29.3 percent higher, largely due to tightened supply.
The price of pork in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province, has risen from 14 yuan
(US$1.8) a kilogram to 17 yuan (US$2.2) within a few days.
In Beijing, the pork price went up more than 30 percent in
recent days, while wholesale price in Shanghai has hit 16 yuan
(US$2.1) per kilogram, a record high for a decade, up 20 percent
month-on-month.
The number of live pigs in stock in the village declined from
more than 7,000 to more than 3,500 since the second half of last
year due to price drops, the head of Sanqu Village in Shaanxi's
Xingping City, which focuses on pig-raising, told Wen.
"Pig raisers kept making losses over the past couple years and
they are reluctant to raise pigs. This led to a marginal decline in
population of live pigs for the current year," according to Xu
Lianzhong, a senior economist with the price supervision center
under the National Development and Reform Commission.
The outbreak of blue ear disease, also known as Porcine
Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), which caused many pig
deaths and culling was an immediate cause of a short supply,
according to Xu.
Wen said the pig production and market supply of pork is
directly related to people's livelihood, and urged local
governments to take relevant measures.
Subsidizes should be offered to farmers who raise sows, the
Premier said.
He also required the local governments to keep a closer eye on
the quality, price, and quarantine inspection of pork to maintain
an orderly market.
Li Xizhen, head of the market monitoring department under the
Ministry of Commerce said earlier, "The Ministry will follow
closely changes on the pork market. National pork reserves will be
used if necessary."
It would take about a year to resume the original stock of 7,000
pigs at Sanqu Village, local farmers said.
(Xinhua News Agency May 28, 2007)
