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New Straits Times
18-05-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Pork prices soar after African Swine Fever outbreak in January
KUALA LUMPUR: The prices of pork have risen since the beginning of this year, due to an outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in Tanjung Sepat. A butcher at the Tanjung Sepat market, only identified as Tong, said customers have started reducing their purchases to manage the higher prices. "They would previously buy 1kg of pork belly. Now, it's maybe just one or two strips, around 600g," he said. A Straits Times report said the current price for 1kg of fresh pork belly in the Klang Valley is RM40, a 33 per cent increase from RM30 in 2020. This price surge has led some consumers to opt for more budget-friendly alternatives like chicken and fish. The death of 300 sows during the ASF outbreak in January significantly impacted pig farmers. The outbreak led to the culling of approximately 30,000 market-ready pigs, each weighing around 120kg, according to Malaysia Pork Sellers Association chairman Chow Poh Yuen. In 2023, Malaysia produced 1.24 million live pigs and imported 68,300 metric tonnes of pork valued at RM943.82 million. The imports were four times higher than in 2021, indicating a growing reliance on foreign pork. The first ASF outbreak in Malaysia was detected in wild boar and backyard pigs in Sabah in February 2021. Subsequent outbreaks in Perak, Pahang, and other states led to significant reductions in live pig production. In response, the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) banned interstate transportation of pigs to curb the spread of the infection. Peninsular Malaysia saw a nearly 30 per cent drop in live pig production, from 1.37 million in 2021 to 990,736 last year. However, Selangor had a slight increase in production, rising from 227,840 in 2021 to 254,425 last year. The increase was short-lived due to the ASF outbreak in Selangor since January this year, leading to wider culling of livestock in Tanjung Sepat. The ASF outbreak has also affected abattoir operations, with some now operating only three days a week due to the shortage of pigs. This has pushed live pig prices from RM750 to RM1,780 per 100kg. To address the shortage, Malaysia is importing pork from countries like Spain, the Netherlands, and Canada. Yesterday, Bernama reported that Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said DVS will review a proposal from the Federation of Pork Sellers Associations to import pork from Thailand, Brazil, and China as a temporary measure to overcome local supply shortages. "Currently, Malaysia is still able to import pork from countries in Europe, Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. "We encourage importers to source pork from these countries for now," he said in a statement. He highlighted that the shortage has hurt local pig farmers and led to a sharp increase in fresh pork prices, impacting consumers. He also said the ministry will work closely with the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry to review proposals for pork price controls. For a long-term solution to combat ASF, all industry players are urged to upgrade their farms to a Modern Pig Farming (MPF) system, which is proven to reduce the risk of diseases. Mohamad welcomed support from the state governments of Penang, Perak, and Sabah for MPF implementation. noting that Sarawak and Negri Sembilan were taking steps to establish special Pig Farming Areas (PFA) dedicated to the pig industry. Both MPF and PFA use modern techniques to improve biosecurity and minimise the chance of disease outbreaks on farms. While the transition to MPF requires significant investment, the ministry is ready to assist stakeholders through a streamlined process and plans to hold an engagement session soon. "We hope that these measures will help stabilise the pork supply, benefit both consumers and farmers, and ultimately enable us to achieve a 90 per cent self-sufficiency rate in local pork production by 2030," he said.
Straits Times
18-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Live pig prices doubled price skyrocketed Malaysia pork retail prices
Petaling Jaya's Old Town Pasar pork seller Mr Tong said customers have reduced their purchases of pork belly from 1kg to 600g. ST PHOTO: LU WEI HOONG TANJUNG SEPAT, Selangor – The sound of meat being chopped by cleavers echoed through eight pork butcher stalls at Petaling Jaya 's Old Town Pasar (market) on May 17, belying a crisis faced by the Malaysian stallholders. Local butchers are grappling with surging pork prices due to African Swine Fever (ASF) which affected farms in Tanjung Sepat, Selangor, one of the country's largest pig-producing hubs, at the start of the year . Mr Tong, 50, one of the butchers at the market in Selangor, said his customers have started reducing their pork-belly purchases to cope with the higher prices. 'They would previously buy 1kg of pork belly. Now, it's maybe just one or two strips, around 600g,' said Mr Tong, who preferred to be called Zhu Yok Fatt (Pork Fatt), told The Straits Times on May 17. Today, 1kg of fresh pork belly in Klang Valley costs RM40 (S$12), a surge of 33 per cent from RM30 in 2020. The current market price is at a two-year high , forcing some consumers to switch to more budget-friendly alternatives such as chicken and fish. Office executive Hew Jin Hao, 31 said he has already started substituting pork with chicken as a more wallet -friendly option, or occasionally seafood as a luxury treat, compared to two years ago. 'In 2022, a typical pork shoulder cost around RM18 per kg. Now, it's RM25. For just RM5 more, I can buy fish instead. Chicken is only about RM10 per kg, so I'd rather skip pork altogether,' he told ST. Pork supply in Malaysia was severely disrupted in the aftermath of the death of 300 sows during the ASF outbreak in January 2025, Tanjung Sepat pig farmer Mr Lee said. 'A piglet takes up to two years to grow into a sow for breeding. Now I'm thinking of shutting down my farm, every pig is gone,' said the 60-year-old, who withheld his full name to avoid affecting ongoing transactions, in an interview with ST. The latest outbreak of ASF in Tanjung Sepat has led to a monthly loss of 30,000 market-ready pigs that had to be culled, each weighing around 120kg, estimated Malaysia Pork Sellers Association chairman Chow Poh Yuen. As it is, in recent years, Malaysia's domestic supply has not been keeping pace with local consumption of pork – much of this being due to previous outbreaks of ASF, a main bane of the pig-rearing industry. In 2023, the country produced 1.24 million live pigs with ex-farm market value of RM2.3 billion. It also imported 68,300 metric tonnes of fresh, frozen and chilled pork valued at RM943.82 million. The 2023 imports are four times higher than 2021 's 17,381.9 metric tonnes of pork valued at RM261.38 million. Live pig prices in Malaysia have doubled since January 2022 due to the African Swine Fever outbreak, rising from RM750 to RM1,780 per 100kg by May 2025. ST PHOTO: LU WEI HOONG Malaysia's first outbreak of ASF was detected in wild boar and backyard pigs in Sabah in February 2021, according to a World Organisation for Animal Health alert issued in early March that year. This was followed by subsequent discoveries of ASF in wild boar herds in Perak and Pahang in December 2021, Malaysia's Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) said then. To curb the spread, the first large-scale culling of infected domestic pigs in Peninsular Malaysia took place in Paya Mengkuang , Melaka, in December 2021. But the disease continued to spread, infecting swine in Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Pahang, Johor, and Penang, leading to a significant reduction in live pig production in these states. In response, Malaysia's DVS banned the interstate transportation of pigs to curb the spread of the infection, allowing only chilled pork to be transported between the Malaysian states. Peninsular Malaysia saw a nearly 30 per cent drop in live pig production, from 1.37 million in 2021 to 990,736 in 2024. But Selangor, which was spared the earlier rounds of ASF, had a slight increase in production, rising from 227,840 in 2021 to 254,425 in 2024, according to livestock statistics from the Veterinary Department. However , the severe ASF outbreak in Selangor since January 2025 has led to wider culling of livestock in Tanjung Sepat – which hosts 114, or more than a quarter, of the 401 licensed pig farms in Peninsular Malaysia. A veterinarian in private practice with 46 years of experience in the pig-farming industry, who only wanted to be known as Mr Lim , told ST: 'The ASF mortality rate is high. A sow loses its appetite, develops purplish patches and eventually dies. Postmortem reveals internal bleeding, kidney haemorrhage and an enlarged spleen, growing up to 2 feet from its normal size of 1 foot.' While the disease is not infectious to humans, he said no effective ASF vaccine has been developed for use in swine. Said Mr Chow, 65, the pork sellers association chairman: 'Before the ASF outbreak, abattoirs operated six days a week. Now, it's down to just three. The severe shortage has pushed live pig prices from RM750 to RM1,780 per 100kg.' The current shortfall is being filled by imported pork from Spain, the Netherlands, and Canada, but the lower import prices – about half that of fresh Malaysian pork – could reduce the demand for local pork, he added. Representing 1,500 members, Mr Chow is scheduled to meet with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) on May 20 to discuss expanding the list of approved pork-importing countries and implementing price controls. Acknowledged the rising pork prices, MAFS Minister Mohamad Sabu said the ministry is considering pork sellers' requests to expand import sources to include Thailand, Brazil, and China, going beyond the current suppliers in Europe, Australia, the US, and the UK. 'For a long-term solution to ASF, MAFS urges all industry players to modernise their farms to achieve disease-free status. As this transformation requires significant investment, the ministry is prepared to support stakeholders through the process. A dialogue session will be held in due course,' Datuk Seri Mohamad said in a statement on May 17. For now, the butcher known as Zhu Yok Fatt hopes that the ASF outbreak will be brought under control soon and pork supply will be stabilised in the Klang Valley area. 'If more pigs are bred in Tanjung Sepat, fresh pork prices will come down,' he said. Lu Wei Hoong is Malaysia correspondent at The Straits Times, specialising in transport and politics. 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