Data from the General Administration of Customs shows a sharp increase in the import of proteins by China in the first nine months of this year.

On Monday, customs data showed, China’s import of pork and beef have surged. Pork imports have jumped by 76% from a year earlier while beef imports came close to a monthly record. There is a huge in demand for proteins in China following the outbreak of a disease which decimated its huge hog herd.

Pork imports, touched 1.33 million tonnes, up by 43.6% from a year earlier, for the first eight months of the year, said a statement from the General Administration of Customs.

The deadly African swine fever, which spread unchecked throughout the year with many farmers unwilling to replenish their herd, has culled the world’s pig herd by nearly 40%, according to official data.

The decline in herd population has pushed up retail pork prices up by 84% year-on-year to $6.14 (43.4 yuan) per kg which in turn pushed China’s food price index at its highest since January 2012.

Beef imports, which are usually more expensive than pork, also seem to be benefiting from the meat shortage.

Customs data shows that beef imports have jumped by 53.4% in the first nine months of the year to 1.13 million tonnes.

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