The size of the herd was down 1.2% from the previous month, reported Reuters, citing the latest data released on the website of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

China has been rebuilding its pig herd after the deadly African swine fever disease, first detected in 2018 in the country, slashed its pig production.

Abattoirs with annual production capacity at 20,000 heads and above slaughtered 235.89 million pigs in the first 11 months of the year, up 66.1% from a year ago, according to the data jointly released by the agriculture ministry and other ministries including the commerce ministry.

Rising output and oversupply caused pork prices to plunge this year and pushed hog margins to negative territory.

The net profit of raising pigs on large farms was at 293 yuan ($45.97) per head in November, down 187.3% from the previous month. The value was also down 69% from a year ago, according to the data.