What were the reasons for and effects of the pork price rise in 2019?
Anyone who regularly buys groceries has probably noticed that pork prices have skyrocketed recently, with most areas charging over twenty yuan per jin. The rise in pork prices is certainly influenced by swine fever, but what exactly are the reasons for the pork price rise? And what effects has the pork price rise brought about?
I. Pork prices in various areas
According to online data, the pork prices across the country on August 22, 2019 were roughly as follows:
1. Haidian District, Beijing: pork carcass 30.00 yuan/kg;
2. Jingchuan County, Gansu Province: pork carcass 34.00 yuan/kg;
3. Wen'an County, Hebei Province: pork carcass 36.00 yuan/kg;
4. Wen County, Henan Province: pork carcass 34.00 yuan/kg;
5. Rugao City, Jiangsu Province: pork carcass 35.00 yuan/kg;
6. Liangshan County, Shandong Province: pork carcass 36.00 yuan/kg;
7. Dongpo District, Sichuan Province: pork carcass 38.00 yuan/kg.
……
Because pork pricing in markets and supermarkets varies from place to place, the specific price should be based on the actual local price.
II. What are the reasons for the pork price rise?
1. The swine fever epidemic
With the outbreak of African swine fever this year, pigs in many areas were slaughtered and buried, the number of pigs decreased, the number of fattened pigs sent to market declined, supply fell short of demand, and pork prices naturally rose.
2. Farmers' willingness to raise pigs declined
Because of the epidemic, risks, profitability and other reasons, many small pig farmers withdrew from raising pigs, people's willingness to raise them declined, and both pig inventories and the number sent to market decreased, so pork prices rose to a certain extent.
III. What effects has the pork price rise brought about?
1. Prices of other meats rise in tandem
Because pork prices have risen, the number of people buying pork will decline, but meat is an essential nutritional need in daily life, so many people will choose to buy other meats, such as chicken, beef and mutton, and fish. If this situation becomes relatively serious, the prices of other meats may also rise in tandem.
2. Higher living expenses
If you often bought pork before, now that pork prices have risen, keeping up the habit of buying pork will increase your daily expenses and raise your living costs, putting somewhat greater financial pressure on some people.
3. Impact on the economy
In July this year, the CPI (Consumer Price Index) rose 2.8% year on year. If pork prices continue to rise, that may further affect the economy and may have a certain impact on everyone's daily life.
However, pork prices also follow cyclical patterns. If pork prices keep rising, many people who see the profit will begin to consider raising pigs again. Moreover, the African swine fever epidemic is currently gradually stabilizing, and the number of pigs sent to market should increase later on, so there is little likelihood that pork prices will rise further.