THE plunge in hog numbers in China, the world’s biggest pork producer and consumer, will probably bottom out before the end of this year because of government policies to combat African swine fever, an agricultural ministry official said Thursday.

Inventories at large farms have already started to rebound, according to Yang Zhenhai, director of the Husbandry and Veterinary Bureau of China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

The year-long pig epidemic has slashed China’s pig herd by at least 40 percent from a year earlier, and pushed prices of the country’s favorite meat to record high levels.

“Various supporting policies and market factors have helped boost confidence in pig farming significantly, and enthusiasm for production among small and big farmers is further improving,” Yang said.

The government has issued a series of measures recently to support national hog production, and boost supplies of other meats to guarantee protein supplies for the world’s largest population.

The official said pig production has recovered rapidly at farms that slaughter more than 5,000 pigs a year. Inventories at those farms reached 44.4551 million animals in September, up 0.6 percent from the previous month, while September sow herds climbed 3.7 percent from August to 6.1047 million head.

China had pig inventories of 428 million animals by the end of 2018, according to official data.

Major producing provinces including Henan, Shandong and Liaoning also saw a considerable pick-up in pig inventories in September, Yang said. (SD-Agencies)