Pork prices push November inflation to 9-year high

GOLSSEN, GERMANY - APRIL 28: Piglets crowd a stall at the H.C. Daniels hog farm in Drahnsdorf on April 28, 2016 near Golssen, Germany. German hog farmers are exporting pork meat successfully to Great Britain and undercutting British farmers, in large part because British regulations on how pigs may be raised are stricter than in Germany, meaning British pork is more expensive. Supporters of Great Britain's departure from the European Union, or Brexit, cite cheap imports of pork as one example of why Britain should leave the EU. EU membership means Great Britain cannot impose tariffs on German pork. (Photo by Carsten Koall/Getty Images)

Dwindling supply of pork following the African swine flu outbreak in Vietnam saw prices of pork and other processed meat products to soar in November, leading to the biggest CPI increase in 9 years, according to the latest report by the General Statistics Office (GSO).

However, over the last 11 months, the CPI had only risen by 2.57 year-on-year, the lowest increase in the last three years. The CPI in November, compared to December-end 2018, had increased by 3.78 percent.

Speaking to VnExpress, merchants in Ho Chi Minh City said that prices of pork substitutes such as beef and seafood rose as customers made the switch, coupled with heightened demand as the New Year approaches.

Vietnam has had to cull 5.9 million pigs infected with African swine fever since the beginning of the year, equivalent to 337,000 tons of pork, according to Phung Duc Tien, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

This has resulted in pork prices rising by 19 percent since last November and could rise by a further 10-15 percent by the end of this year with an expected shortage of 200,000 tons, according to the GSO.