A long-awaited surge in Chinese
purchases of Canadian pork appears to be here.
Kevin Grier told a webinar organized by
the Ontario Pork marketing board that sales to China surged by 180 per cent
over year-earlier levels in January and have been strong during February and
March.
He forecast a slight decline in North
American hog marketings during the summer, which is the seasonal pattern, and
then an increase this fall.
Many American analysts are saying there
won’t be enough packing-plant capacity to take all of the hogs that will be
ready for market over about a nine-week period this fall.
