China’s pork import volume sets record

ChinaÆs pork import volume sets record China set a record in 2008 as the largest pork importer in a single year, according to data compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation.
   'Based on import totals from China and Hong Kong, the country imported (4.2 billion pounds) of pork and pork products last year, including (nearly 2.6 billion pounds) of pork variety meats and (1.7 billion pounds) of pork cuts,' USMEF said. 'Available trade data suggests that China’s imports eclipsed the previous single-year record (2.2 billion pounds) of pork imported by Japan in 2005.'
   But the federation bemoaned the fact that U.S. exports made up a relatively small percentage of that total.
   “The volume demonstrates the huge influence China can have on global markets when supply and demand become imbalanced,' said Joel Haggard, senior vice president of USMEF’s Asia Pacific region, in a statement. 'The import volume, though huge, represents less than 5 percent of China's consumption.”
   Although final data for 2008 is not yet in, USMEF estimates that total U.S. pork and pork product exports to China and Hong Kong reached (851 million pounds) valued at nearly $700 million in 2008. The European Union and Brazil were the other major pork suppliers to the region.