Chinese regulators go the whole hog to stem pork prices

Runaway pork prices in China receded last week, bringing much relief to consumers. Although it is still too early to claim that they will continue to fall and stabilize, it at least shows that the efforts by the regulatory authorities to stabilize pork prices have started to bear fruit.

And as the number of pigs is expected to rise next year, the current price spikes may only be cyclical.

The average wholesale price of pork dropped by 5.96 percent from a week earlier to 48.13 yuan ($6.85) per kilogram on Nov 15, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. The decline widened significantly, compared with a decrease of 2.33 percent week-on-week on Nov 8.