The impact of COVID-19 has impacted the pig industry, taking away sixty-percent of pork sales.

COVID-19 has hit the pig industry, taking away sixty-percent of pork sales.

President of the Fiji Pig Farmers Association Simon Cole says about 30 commercial pig farmers are now left with a massive stock of pork due to the downturn in the tourism sector.

He adds this has prompted farmers to slash the prices of pork at various butchers and supermarkets around the country.

“The price of pork used to be $20 to $30 a kilo, but you can buy pork now special at about $7 to $8 a kilo. These prices have gone now and they were to get rid of a back-log of pork that the whole industry had and it was successful in doing that. And these prices are unsustainable, these farmers cannot make money at that.”

Cole highlights that during the pre-COVID period, 2,700 tonnes of pork was produced locally every year, injecting about $40 million into our economy.