UTRECHT, Netherlands – Global food and agriculture finance company and bank, Rabobank reports in “African Swine Fever: A Global Update,” new African swine fever (ASF) cases and reinfections continue to decline in China, however, cases in other parts of Asia and Southeast Asia continue to spread. With a case reported in Greece, and a particularly concerning case reported in western Poland, Rabobank says ASF will potentially influence and disrupt protein trade, production and consumption throughout 2020.
For all species, especially in China, coronavirus (Covid – 19) currently is affecting distribution, consumption and trade in the first quarter of 2020, but Rabobank is optimistic the disease will be brought under control. There will be short-term impacts giving way to a strong rebound in the second quarter.
The protein trade outlook for 2020 remains complex and the impacts of coronavirus, China’s trade and imports of protein, will be influenced by the US-China trade deal and China’s management of pork prices throughout the first half of 2020. The uncertainties of the many variables involved will complicate the global market in the near term, but Rabobank’s view is that China will maintain or increase imports of all proteins in 2020.
