China's meat imports increased by 60% last year
In 2020, China, the world's largest meat consumer, increased its meat imports by 60.4% compared to the previous year. 9.91 million tonnes of meat were received from different countries as the Asian state was confronted with a deficit of animal protein due to ongoing ASF crisis started in August 2018. Although 2020 was, in this sense, a record year for all imported species, according to a forecast by Rabobank the aggressive restocking of China's pig farms in 2020 will lead to a growth of pork production of around 10 % in 2021, which will reduce meat imports by up to 30% year-on-year.
If this projection will become true, China will have to import almost 7 million tonnes of meat over the next 12 months, which is slightly above the figures reported in 2019. However, Rabobank's forecast may be deceiving as the poultry production in China is expected to grow by 14% this year due to large investments made in the sector.
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