Where’s the Beef? On Its Way to China
- China’s beef imports jump almost 80%, beating pork purchases
- Beef imports this year are on course for a record amount
A customer purchases beef from a butcher in Beijing.
Photographer: Nelson Ching/Bloomberg
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China, a nation of pork lovers, has developed an appetite for overseas beef that could see it buying record amounts this year.
The biggest consumer of global commodities boosted beef imports by almost 80 percent in October from a year earlier to 92,435 tons, customs data showed. That brings this year’s shipments to more than 830,000 tons, on pace for an annual record. Meanwhile, pork purchases fell 2.2 percent last month, with beef imports eclipsing pork for a third month.