Editorial | Rising pork prices fuelling discontent in mainland China

Unlike its predecessors, the younger generation of mainlanders does not share a collective memory of pork coupons or tickets being issued to limit individual purchases of a staple in short supply. But many may soon acquire one if African swine fever continues to cut a swathe through herds, forcing up prices ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival and the week-long National Day holiday from the beginning of October, which are sure to raise demand.

Indeed, local governments in two provinces have already introduced discount coupons with restrictions on the amount of pork purchased in a bid to quell consumer anger at rising prices. Nanning, capital of southern Guangxi autonomous region, began distributing coupons offering a 10 per cent discount on the 10-day average market price at 10 pilot sites, restricted to 1kg per resident per day. Consumers in Xiamen, Fujian province, have been limited to 2.5kg of subsidised pork a day since early August, and the Licheng district government of Futian city in the same province was to offer residents a 4-yuan (HK$4.40) subsidy per kilogram for purchases of up to 2kg from the weekend. Discount schemes were already operating in a few southern cities of Fujian.

News of the discounts fed anxiety among consumers about a return to the days of meat coupons introduced in the 1950s and only phased out in the 1980s and 90s. Pork prices have doubled since July, reaching record highs in excess of 30 yuan a kilogram and posing a test of the government’s ability to contain public discontent. Evidence of that is that the plight of the pork industry is making a bigger impact on Chinese politics than patriotic reaction to three months of anti-government protests in Hong Kong. This is put into perspective by a motto attributed to former premier Wen Jiabao: “Nothing is trivial when it comes to livelihood”.