China's pork supply will be stable in the second quarter of next year as it takes about 18 months to breed more pigs, a top economic planning official said today.

"Supply of pork has increased recently and the price has stabilized, but short-term fluctuation is still inevitable, while the possibility of another significant price hike is slim," said Bi Jingquan, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission.

The demand may rise during the upcoming National Day holiday and the Mid-Autumn Festival, Bi said.

However, the sufficient supply of non-staple food, such as beef, mutton and eggs, can help stem the pork prices from surging, Bi said.

As the biggest pork producer in the world, China is not likely to import lots of pork from other countries because no country can fulfill China's demand, Bi said.

Wholesale pork prices almost doubled in the first seven months of this year due to short supplies and mounting production costs.

(Shanghai Daily September 4, 2007)