Is there no end to pig prices in 2018? Why is it so much worse than 2017?

Looking at the timing, 2018 is already a third of the way through, and at this point people are still asking how pig prices compare with 2017? It is like lice on a monk's head - as plain as day. The lowest live pig price in 2018 hit a nearly eight-year low, so it simply cannot be compared with 2017 at all. As for the outlook for 2018 (there is probably no need to talk about any outlook at this point), Kexue Xingnong says it is better to look at 2019.

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Since the Spring Festival, pig prices have plummeted all the way, and so far the decline in pig prices has exceeded 20%, which can be said to have made many breeding farmers burn with anxiety. But what can be done about it? For farmers, what they can do is still to follow the market situation and act accordingly. In April, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs made a statement on the current market, saying that this year's live pig market is seriously oversupplied, and farmers should sell their pigs in line with the trend. This can be regarded as the official setting of the tone for this year's live pig market. One major factor in believing that there is no outlook for live pig farming this year is that the market is becoming saturated, with supply exceeding demand.

In addition, looking at the prices of piglets this year, the decline is far smaller than the current decline in live pigs, which shows that many breeding farmers still hold great expectations for the follow-up market. When market supply cannot become loose, the market bottom will not appear. A price increase is even more like a pipe dream. In addition, the number of sows on hand this year is still not small.

After two consecutive years of relatively good market conditions in 2016 and 2017, many breeding farmers entered the pig farming industry. A cyclical decline in pig farming is also a fairly normal phenomenon, and because the pig breeding cycle is relatively long, this round of adjustment is estimated to have only a little hope by 2019. This is also the reason Kexue Xingnong suggests paying attention to 2019.

For breeding farmers in 2018, what they can currently do is minimize losses as much as possible, since the current pig price has not yet returned above the cost line. How to avoid losses is the key.