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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 COA mulls opening up pork imports as average price soars
Hogs stand in a pig farm in Yunlin County on Friday last week. Photo: CNA
By Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNA
The Council of Agriculture （COA） is considering allowing special pork imports, after domestic pork prices rose to an average of NT$99.03 per kilogram on Monday.
The increase was mainly attributed to farmers’ raising prices amid a decline in imports, coupled with the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday.
On Monday, the most recent trading day, 22,000 hogs were sold, with the average price exceeding NT$85 per kilogram, which was the previous market high, the council’s Web site showed.
On Saturday and Sunday, the average price reached NT$95 per kilogram, while the average price for last month was about NT$90 per kilogram.
While the five-day holiday might have affected prices, pork prices are not expected to fall after Tomb Sweeping Day, the Department of Animal Industry Deputy Director Chiang Wen-chuan （江文全） said.
The knock-on effects from hog farming issues late last year, along with planned upgrade projects and high feed costs could lead to a 4 to 5 percent reduction in domestic pork availability in the first half of this year, the COA said.
A 17 percent rise in international feed prices over the past year has led to a 10 percent drop in the total number of hogs raised in Europe, prompting a spike in pork prices worldwide, Chiang said.
Domestic hog farmers are anticipating a further spike in pork prices due to slumping imports, he added.
Taiwan imported 9,913 tonnes of pork in January and February, down 10,000 tonnes, or 48 percent, compared with 19,070 tonnes in the same period last year, he said.
The average weight of pigs is about 128kg to 129kg, which is on the heavier side, and suggest that hog farmers are limiting sales, Chiang said.
The council has urged farmers to stop stockpiling, he said, adding that it has also asked C.P. Group, Dachan Great Wall Group and Taiwan Sugar Corp to increase the availability of domestic pork.
Poultry overhead is also increasing due to the rising price of international feed, with free-range chicken prices at NT$56 per jin （600g）, higher than the previous prices of NT$48 to NT$50 per jin, the COA said.
Domestic broiler chickens are selling for NT$36 per jin, up from NT$32 to NT$33 per jin, it said.
The amount of imported broiler chicken was 29,899 tonnes in January and February, down 46 percent, or 13,722 tonnes, from the same period last year, it said.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
