Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (front, in white shirt)
visits the pigsty of a farmer in Sanqu Village of Xiwu Town, Xingping City
in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 26, 2007. Wen visited Shaanxi
Saturday for an investigation into pig raising and the pork
market. (Xinhua Photo/Yao Dawei) Photo
Gallery>>>
XI'AN, May
27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has asked local governments at all levels
to ensure the supply of pork and maintain market order amid rising concerns
over soaring price of pork.
"We have noticed the recent rise in pork price, and the government
is going all out to ensure the supply of pork and keep it affordable," Wen
told a crowd in a supermarket during his visit in Xi'an on Saturday for
an investigation into pig raising and the pork market.
A resident of Xi'an in the supermarket told Wen they
can still afford the pork price for the moment, however they feel pressured from
further hikes.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, in April
live pigs nationwide were priced 71.3 percent higher than a month earlier, and
pork, 29.3 percent higher, largely due to tightened supply.
The price of pork in Xi'an, capital of
Shaanxi Province, has risen from 14 yuan (1.8 U.S. dollars) a kilogram to 17 yuan
(2.2 dollars) within a few days.
In Beijing, the pork price went up more than 30
percent in recent days, while wholesale prices in Shanghai have hit 16 yuan (2.1
dollars) per kilogram, a record high for a decade, up 20 percent
month-on-month.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (C) talks
with customers on the pork prices at a supermarket in Xi'an, capital of
northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 26, 2007. Wen visited Shaanxi
Saturday for an investigation into pig-raising and pork market. (Xinhua
Photo/Yao Dawei) Photo Gallery>>>
The number of live pigs in stock in the village
declined from more than 7,000 to more than 3,500 since the second half of last
year due to price drops, the head of Sanqu Village in Shaanxi's Xingping City,
which focuses on pig-raising, told Wen.
"Pig raisers kept making losses over the past couple
years and they are reluctant to raise pigs. This led to a marginal decline in
population of live pigs for the current year," according to Xu Lianzhong, a
senior economist with the price supervision center under the National
Development and Reform Commission.
The outbreak of blue ear disease, also known as
POrcine REproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), which caused many pig
deaths and culling was an immediate cause of a short supply, according to Xu.
Wen said the pig production and market supply of pork
is directly related to people's livelihood, and urged local governments to take
relevant measures.
Subsidizes should be offered to farmers who raise
sows, the Premier said.
He also required the local governments to keep a
closer eye on the quality, price and quarantine inspection of pork to maintain
an orderly market.
Li Xizhen, head of the market monitoring department
under the Ministry of Commerce said earlier, "The Ministry will follow closely
changes on the pork market. National pork reserves will be used if necessary."
It would take about a year to resume the original
stock of 7,000 pigs at Sanqu Village, local farmers said.
BEIJING, May 23 -- The price of pork has hit a new high in
many cities due to a decrease in the number of pigs, but analysts said the price
hike will not last too long.
In Qingdao in East China's Shandong Province, pork prices
have been adjusted at least four times this month. A local food company manager
said prices have increased by 20 percent in a fortnight to a record 21 yuan
($2.74) per kilogram. Full story
BEIJING, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Those who plan to set up
slaughterhouses in China will have to apply to the government for a business
license, according to a draft regulation issued on Friday. Full story
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