FAO: world production of pigmeat is anticipated to grow in 2014

According to the latest edition of FAO's biannual Food Outlook report, world production of pigmeat is anticipated to grow by 1.4 percent to 116.1 million tonnes in 2014, aided by lower feed costs. The increase in output is forecast to stem from developing countries, where over 60 percent of production originates, while little change is expected in the developed countries.

• Asia is the leading pigmeat producing region, accounting for more than half of the world total. Strong consumer demand and government support policies are anticipated to combine to boost China’s output by 2.3 percent, to 56.7 million tonnes, equivalent to almost half of the world total. Elsewhere in Asia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia are foreseen to register similar rates of growth. Conversely, in Japan and the Republic of Korea, production is anticipated to fall, reflecting the diminished breeding herds and outbreaks of porcine endemic diarrhoea (PED), which have reduced piglet numbers.
• In the Americas, Brazil, the world’s fourth largest producer, is set to increase output to a record 3.5 million tonnes, stimulated by reduced feed costs and favourable export prices. Steady growth is also anticipated for Mexico, underpinned by improved genetics and productivity which translate into more piglets per litter and higher animal weights.
• Production in the EU, the second largest producer after China, is forecast to be unchanged at 22.1 million tonnes, even though compliance with animal welfare regulations relating to the housing of sows led to a fall in the breeding herd in some member-states.
• In the United States, PED is projected to cause a 1.9 percent fall in pigmeat output, despite heavier slaughter weights. Canada’s production is forecast to increase only slightly, due to some smaller producers ceasing operations.
• In the Russian Federation, government policies favouring large-scale farms have resulted in production doubling over the past decade. The trend towards increased output may be amplified in 2014, following prohibitions on pork imports from the EU and Canada, which together supplied two-thirds of the Federation’s imports in 2013. African swine fever (ASF) in Belarus has caused a marked decline in the pig population and, consequently, production is forecast to fall substantially.