The South Korean government sighed a breath of relief after a suspected case of African swine fever in Chungcheongnam-do Province came back negative.
However, officials are still on high alert as the dwindling supply of pigs is beginning to be reflected in the price of pork in South Korea.
Kim Hyo-sun reports.
Pork prices, which have already increased due to continued confirmed cases of African swine fever across South Korea, are expected to jump even more,... following the recent suspected case in Chungcheongnam-do Province,... an area that accounts for one-fifth of South Korea's total pig population.
The average wholesale pork price for next month is estimated to be between 3-point-3 and 3-point-5 U.S. dollars a kilogram,... which is three to seven percent higher than the same time last year.
As wholesale prices creep up, wholesalers and consumers are starting to feel the pinch.
"We can't purchase pork as it's too expensive due to the government's movement ban on pigs."
Since the first case of African swine fever was confirmed in South Korea in mid-September,... over 95-thousand pigs have either been slaughtered or are scheduled to be.
This has led to a significant drop in the pig supply across the country with the number standing at some 973-thousand,... which is 140-thousand lower than this time last year.
"Pork prices will fluctuate less if the African swine fever crisis ends soon. But, the market is expected to experience uncertainty for some time to come."
There's a lot of attention on the pork auction market this week as the continued pork shortage is expected to hit the retail industry and consumers hard.
Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News.