Pig farmers urge gov't to stop falling pork prices
TAIWAN - Representatives of pig farmer associations in Taiwan yesterday urged the government to put a stop to falling pork prices, or else 20 percent of small to medium pig farming businesses will be forced to close by June of this year.While prices per kilogram of pork have been steadily decreasing in the country, prices for pig feed such as corn continue to climb, said Pan Lian-chou, head of the R.O.C Swine Association.
The use of corn as an alternative fuel by countries such as the United States has caused a decrease of those countries' corn exports, and thereby contribute to the feed item's high prices, said Chang Yu-chi, chairperson of the R.O.C. Federation of Swine Cooperatives.
The average whole sale price of every 100 kilograms of pork is NT$5,000, and prices in central and southern regions of the country can fall as low as NT$4,500, which are far below the ideal price of NT$55 per kilogram, said Chang in a report of the United Evening News.
Source: The China Post