During the third quarter of 2022, China's pork imports saw a 6.5% increase from the previous quarter, reaching 412,100 tonnes swt, but this figure marked a 47.7% decrease compared to the same period in 2021. From January to September, China's pork imports totaled 1.2 million tonnes, showing a significant drop of 1.8 million tonnes compared to the corresponding period in 2021. The UK and the EU were the leading exporters, contributing 56,600 tonnes and 643,000 tonnes, respectively.
Despite the efforts to curb rising domestic pork prices through auctioning frozen pork stocks, these prices continue to escalate as China enters the high demand season for pork. It is anticipated that imports will see growth in 2023 as severe restrictions are eased and demand increases, albeit not reaching the volumes of 2021. Projections suggest that total pork imports will stabilize around 2 million tonnes in the next two years, positioning China as a country that is nearly 95% self-sufficient while maintaining its food security target and retaining the title as the world's largest pork importer.