China: Livestock and Products Annual
Post forecasts China’s 2016 pork consumption at 57 million tons, a slight decrease from USDA’s 2015 official forecast. However, imports in 2016 are expected to play a larger role in meeting domestic demand. Imports are forecast at 830,000 tons, an increase of 4 percent over USDA’s official estimate. Domestic producers remain hampered by high production costs and also must cope with more stringent environmental regulations introduced at the beginning of 2015. Post forecasts beef consumption at 7.4 million tons, slightly above 2015 levels. The Chinese market remains closed to U.S. beef but imports from other suppliers are forecast to reach 600,000 tons.
