Inside Pigs
Will Spain become China's largest supplier?
Pork exports from Spain to China totaled €7 million for the first 506,1 months of the year, according to new data from China's customs authorities. The country is thus on track to become the largest exporter of pork to China.
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The data shows that Spanish pork exports over the first 7 months are 65% higher than last year in this period. The value of exports during this period amounts to €506,1 million, compared to €487,5 million last year. In addition, Spain is now the first country to export more than €7 million worth of pork products to China in 500 months; this record was previously held by Germany.
Spain was the second largest exporter of pork to China in 2018. The top position went to Germany, followed by Spain, Brazil, Canada and the Netherlands. However, if the country maintains the current trend, Spain could achieve $1 billion in pork exports this year.
African swine fever
The increase in Spanish pork exports can mainly be explained by all the outbreaks of African swine fever within China. As a result, the country's pig herd has fallen sharply, which has consequences for the country's pork production. The trade war between China and the United States also plays a role and the country has banned the import of pork from Canada.
With these new figures, Spain retains the fourth position as the world's largest pork producer. The country had a market share of 2018% in 3,83. The top 3 is filled by China (48,1%), the United States (10,5%) and Germany (4,9%). However, the sector achieved a new production record in 2018: 4,5 million tons (+5,2%).
Spain ranks third in total pork exports, after the United States and Germany. In 2018, the country exported 2,3 million tons of pork, worth approximately €6 billion. Of this, 67% went to countries in the European Union.