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A spokesman for the Food and Health Bureau (FHB) today (January 4) responds to media enquiries on the recent supply of live pigs from the Mainland to Hong Kong, saying that today there were about 3 889 live pigs imported from the Mainland and the average wholesale price ranged between $1,650 and $1,830 per picul.
The spokesman said the Government has been closely monitoring the supply of live pigs. In the past month, the supply of live pigs from the Mainland was relatively steady, with about 4 000 pigs on most of the days, and averaged at 4 122 for the whole month. This level was comparable to the supply in the preceding two months, and that in December of 2010 and 2011.
Comparing the daily supply figures of live pigs from the Mainland in the month of December of the past three years, it was noted that there was a substantive drop in supply in the period surrounding the Christmas day and the New Year's Eve, which might possibly be explained by the decreasing demand for live pigs locally after the Chinese Winter Solstice Festival and the holiday season. According to information gathered from the wholesale agents, the new arrangement of having prolonged holidays before the New Year Day in the Mainland and the earlier snowstorms in some Mainland provinces had to a certain extent affected the recent supply of live pigs from the Mainland. The data and graph on the daily supply of live pigs from the Mainland and locally in the month of December over the past three years are shown in Annex.
The spokesman continued: "Concerning the price level, the average auction price for live pigs from the Mainland was $1,385 per picul for the month of December. We note that there was a significant increase in the average auction price over the last few days. Regarding the underlying considerations for the pricing of pork, we had been previously advised by the trade that apart from the purchase cost, they would also take into account other operational expenses, such as transportation cost, salaries and rental. We could see that the recent increase in the average wholesale price of live pigs was to a certain extent a result of the upsurge of auction prices in a few individual deals. It is noted that the price of live pigs also saw a rising trend most recently in the Mainland and this would have certain impact on the supply and price of the live pigs imported from the Mainland into Hong Kong.
"To enhance market transparency, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has made available on their website information on the number and average auction price of live pigs imported from the Mainland every day for reference by the trade and the public. The hyperlink to the website is: www.fehd.gov.hk/tc_chi/sh/data/supply_tw.html.
"The majority of live pigs supplied in Hong Kong are from the Mainland (the rest from local farms). To ensure a stable supply of live pigs, FHB has maintained close liaison with relevant Mainland authorities and the import agents. In July 2007, after discussion between FHB and the Ministry of Commerce, the live pig market was opened up to foster competition. In October 2007, the number of wholesale import agents for live pig supplied to Hong Kong from the Mainland increased to three from one originally."
In order to secure stable food supply and provide more choices for consumers, the Government has been encouraging the trade to expand the sources of food supply. In August 2006, the trade started to import chilled pork from the Mainland, providing citizens with an alternative option. Consumption of chilled pork has increased from a total of around 4 600 tonnes in 2006 to around 9 000 tonnes in 2012 (January to September).
"The Government will continue to monitor the supply of live pigs and maintain dialogue with the trade and relevant Mainland authorities with a view to securing stable supply of live pigs as far as possible," the spokesman added.
Ends/Friday, January 4, 2013
Issued at HKT 21:55
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