Pork price to keep rising: CPF
The price of pork will continue to rise next year, said Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) Chief Executive Officer Prasit Boondoungprasert.
He explained that in the past few years there have been outbreaks of swine diseases in Asia, such as the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) and African Swine Fever (ASF), for which there are still no preventive vaccines.
“This has affected swine farmers in several countries, such as China and Vietnam, and resulted in pork shortage in the global market,” he said.
“Many countries switched to importing pork from Thailand, which has caused the price of pork to keep rising. This trend will continue next year.”
Prasit also said it could take 2-3 years before pork producers in the region restore their production levels to that of the period before the ASF and PRRS outbreaks.
“By that time pork may no longer be a basic commodity,” he pointed out.
“Farmers who rush into raising a new batch of pigs might suffer a loss if they do not employ strict biosafety standards to protect their swine from the outbreaks,” Prasit said.
“This is why CPF has invested millions of baht in research and development to improve swine breeds to be more resilient to diseases, and design an efficient farm management system that is eco-friendly and at acceptable costs,” he said.
“The ability to protect pigs from diseases and have efficient cost management will be the key factors of success for the swine raising industry in the next few years,” he added.