Pork prices in South Korea on wane amid African swine fever outbreaks

A butcher shop in a traditional street market in Gwanak District in Seoul. Courtesy of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups

The average wholesale price of pork here decreased nearly 40 percent in October from a month earlier, as consumers shunned the meat amid the outbreak of African swine fever (ASF), data showed Saturday.

A kilogram of pork cost 2,969 won (US$2.52) as of Friday morning, down 38 percent from a month earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

Compared with 2018, the price fell 24.1 percent.

The retail price of pork belly, one of the most popular cuts among South Koreans, dropped more than 13 percent from a month earlier to 17,810 won.

The government has confirmed 14 cases of ASF at local pig farms since mid-September, when the country experienced its first outbreak.

The ministry earlier expressed concerns over a possible hike in pork prices, as its quarantine officials had been culling pigs from a 3-kilometer radius of ASF-infected farms, leading to a tight supply. The number of pigs slaughtered so far has reached 150,000.

Following the discovery of the highly contagious disease, the price of pork jumped more than 30 percent, but has since lost ground as consumers began avoiding consuming it despite the fact that the deadly animal disease is not harmful to humans.

The agricultural ministry and agricultural organizations have been urging the public not to avoid pork due to ASF.

"The ASF virus is only fatal for pigs, and people cannot be infected with the disease. It is completely safe for people to consume South Korean pork," Nonghyup, a public agricultural cooperative, said in a statement.

The ministry plans to cooperate with local supermarkets to offer discounts for pork to get more people to consume the meat. (Yonhap)