Swine industry recovery in China creating opportunity

Jan 16, 2023

Despite setbacks, China is determined to grow its swine industry after taking a massive hit from African swine fever (ASF) in 2018. This has created opportunities for international collaboration, according to a new report from the Iowa Economic Development Association (IEDA).

Tony Wang, IEDA representative in Shanghai, China, said the road to recovery has been bumpy, especially as the country endures complications from COVID-19, the pig cycle, inflation, and other factors.

Following the devastation caused by ASF, China’s pork imports went up significantly in 2019 through 2021. At its peak in 2020, Wang said the U.S. accounted for roughly 14% of China’s pork imports. As China gradually rebuilds its swine herd, however, pork imports have dropped sharply. Still, Wang said lingering impact of ASF combined with the effect of the “pig cycle” and market speculation activities have kept the current pork prices fairly high (around $4.6/kg).

Challenging as it may be, China has set clear targets for building back its swine industry, Wang noted.

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Video: Validating Net Energy in Commercial Swine Systems - Gustavo Lima

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Gustavo Lima, PhD candidate at Iowa State University, explains how soybean meal net energy is evaluated using growth assays and calorimetry. He discusses caloric efficiency, validation under commercial conditions, and differences between controlled and real-world environments. Gustavo also highlights practical implications for diet formulation and ingredient valuation. Listen now on all major platforms!

“Indirect calorimetry provides a precise estimation of ingredient energy, yet validation under production conditions remains essential for accurate application in real systems.”

Meet the guest: Gustavo Lima / gustavo-lima-a9867127 is a PhD candidate in Animal Science at Iowa State University, specializing in swine nutrition, ingredient evaluation, and energy metabolism. With over 15 years of experience across Latin America, his work focuses on soybean meal utilization, caloric efficiency, and applied research for commercial production systems.