As African swine fever spreads, Rabobank predicts a loss of 25 to 35 percent for 2019 Chinese pork production. The country will need to import more protein, not just pork, from around the world to meet demand. Rabobank Senior Protein Analyst Christine McCracken says there’s an opportunity for the U.S., but a big challenge will be trade tariffs and market access for poultry. “We’re hopeful even with the tariffs China will come to the U.S. There aren’t that many markets around the world that has excess protein.” China is starting to buy more U.S. pork, with a record pork export figure reported Thursday. McCracken says timing will be important moving forward. “Given the size of losses, it’s in their best interest to buy their product sooner rather than later. We will see higher prices,” she says. “One big question is whether or not producers can respond with higher production.”
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